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THE 



Cm- Sense Horse M, 




BY 



Prof. Chas. IT. Patton, 

Veterinary Surgeon. 



THE 

Common-Sense Horse Book, 

— BEING A — 

CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE TREATMENT 

— OF ALL — 

DISEASES OF THE HORSE, 

— COMPRISING A — 

Diagnosis and Remedies for Chronic and Momentary Diseases, 

— such as — 

COLIC, BOTS, SPAVIN, RING BONE, FISTULA, POLL EVIL, DIS- 
TEMPER, QUINSY, LUNG FEVER, EPIZOOTIC, HEAVES, STRING 
HALT, CRAMPS, BIG HEAD, SWEENY, SPRAINS, STIFLE, 
STABLE GALLS, SPLINTS, CURB, ENLARGED HOCK, 
RHEUMATISM, HOOF ROT, BLEEDING, SCRFEIT 
FARCY, WORMS, LAMENESS OF THE COF- 
FIN BONE, WIND GALLS, THRUSH 
WARTS, WEAKNESS ACROSS 
THE LOINS, AFFECTIONS 
OF THE URINARY 
ORGANS. 

Scratches, Grease Heel, Tetanus or Lock Jaw, 

— AND A 

]S[ew J^et^oel ioi ©i'ei\dl\ii|^ a Sof^e, 

With Complete Directions for many New Liniments for the above 
Diseases never before offered to the Public. 

ALSO, THE MOST SENSIBLE MODE OF TAMING AND TRAINING THE HORSE, 

As adopted by the Most Noted Horsemen in America. 
BY ,/ 

PROF. CHAS. U. PATTON, 

Veterinary Surgeon. 



CINCINNATI: 

Mecklenborg & Rosenthal, Printers, 203 yiNE Street.. 
1875. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by 

CHARLES U. PATTON, 
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 






PREFACE 



Having considered that the contents of a book were of 
more importance than the preface, and having devoted the 
bulk of my mental energies to the book itself, I of course 
can not be expected to write an elaborate preface ; and as 
a preface is a sort of necessary introduction to a book, that 
few people take time to peruse, it will be worse than use- 
ess to expend time on a literary effort that will most likely 
be entirely overlooked, and be doomed to sink into obliv- 
ion, <c unwept, unhonored, and unsung." 

Therefore, without any further preliminary remarks, we 
present this work on the Horse to the public, making no 
apology for its short-comings, asking no undue credit for 
the good it may 'contain, and expecting that it will receive 
a reasonable share of criticism. 

I merely set this waif of " common seme " afloat on the 
boundless sea of literary sense and nonsense, and am hope- 
ful as to its fate, because I know that the good it contains 



4 PBEFACE. 

needs only fair trial and justice, to prove that it does all I 
claim for it. I do not desire to be considered egotistical, 
but I merely have a wish to do the Horse an act of jus- 
tice, and to present to the world a humane mode of treat- 
ment of his diseases, which as a victim of mal practice and 
cruel usage he most certainly deserves. 

THE AUTHOR. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

The Bones > 9 

Horse's Age 13 

The Blood 15 

The Pulse * 21 

Blood-letting 22 

Lung Fever . 25 

Quinsy 28 

Distemper 32 

Epizootic . _ 34 

Bots J* 38 

Colic 41 

Fistula . 44 

The Eye 47 

Spavin 50 

Heaves 52 

String-halt 53 

Splint 55 

Acute Founder 57 

Chronic Founder 58 

Tetanus or Lockjaw 59 

Wind-galls 61 

Warts 63 



6 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Sweeny 65 

Worms 67 

Rubbing the Tail , 68 

Stable-galls 69 

Enlarged Hock '.. . — 70 

Corns ,, 70 

Farcy 71 

Glanders 73 

Surfeit.. j. 74 

Gravel _ 75 

Inflammation of the Brain 76 

Blind Staggers 77 

Curb 78 

Lampas i. 79 

Hide Bound 80 

Suppression of Urine , 81 

Thumps 82 

Stifle 84 

Big-head 85 

Rheumatism. ♦. 86 

Cramps . „ 87 

Weakness across the Loins „ 88 

Thick-wind 89 

Wounds 90 

Coughs 91 

Scratches „ 93 

Scours 94 

Giving Medicine 95 

Horse Powders „ \ 97 

Liniment for Sore Backs 98 

Liniment for Shoulder Galls ■ 98 

Liniment for Sprains 98 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 7 

PAGE. 

Liniments 99 

Coffin" Bone 102 

Hoof-rot . 103 

Thrush . 104 

Crack Hoofs 105 

Shoulder and Foot Lameness . 106 

Horse-shoeing 107 

Shoeing Horse that Interferes... 109 

Breaking an Interfering Horse ;_ 109 

Breaking a Forging Horse 109 

Remedy for Narrow Heel 110 

Hoof-bound Horse 110 

Flat Foot 111 

Nail in a Horse's Foot 112 

Trotting Horse Training..-. , 113 

Horse Taming 118 

Jockey Tricks ,__. _—_„___ — 128 



COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 



SJBY PEOFESSOE CHAELES U. PATTON. 



STRUCTURE AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 
OP BONE. 

Bone is one of the hardest structures of the animal 
tody; it possesses also a certain degree of toughness 
and elasticity. Its color in a fresh state, is of a pink- 
ish white, externally, and deep red within. On ex- 
amining a section of any bone, it is seen to be com- 
posed of two kinds of tissue, one of which is dense 
and compact in texture, like ivory ; the other consist- 
ing of slender fibres and laurellse, which join to form a 
reticular structure. 

The compact tissue is always placed on the exterior 
of a bone; the fibrous tissue is always internal. The 
relative quantity of these two kinds of tissue varies in 
different bones, and in different parts of the same bone, 

as strength or lightness is requisite. 

2 



10 THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

Bone is permeated during life by vessels, and is in- 
closed in a fibrous membrane, the periosteum, by 
means of which most of these vessels reach the hard 
tissue. If the periosteum be stripped from the living 
bone, small bleeding points are to be seen, which mark 
the entrance of the periosteal vessels. The periosteum 
adheres to the surface of the bones, in nearly every 
part excepting at their cartilaginous extremities. 

ANATOMY. 

It is not my purpose to fill up the pages of this little 
book, with* a complete delineation of the anatomy and 
structure of the horse. It is more my object to give 
the diagnosis and treatment of disease ; but as I think 
a few of the outlines given will not be amiss, I will men- 
tion the names of some of the principal bones,[for the 
benefit of those who desire to know them. 

The horse's structure is composed of two hundred 
and forty-seven bones. The spine consists of seven 
cervical, eighteen dorsal, and six lumbar vertebrae. 
The thorax is composed of the dorsal vertebrsee, with 
eighteen ribs on each side, and the sternum which 
joins them. 

The pelvis is made up of two ossa innominata, and 
one sacrum. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 11 

The tail contains about seventeen bones. 

Each fore extremity is composed of the scalpula 
humerus, os brachii, and eight carpal bones; three 
meta-carpal, os suffraginis, os coronal, os pedis, os 
navicular, two ossa sessamoidea. Total on both ex- 
tremities, forty. 

The hind extremity has the femur, patella, tibia, 
fibula, six tarsal bones, three metatarsals, os suffraginisr 
os coronae, os pedis, os navicular, two ossa sessamoidea. 
Total for both, thirty-eight. 

The cranium consists of ten bones. 

The face and lower jaws have eighteen bones. 

There are forty teeth. 

The bones of the internal ear, number four in each: 
prgan. Total, eight. 

The bone of the tongue consists of five sections. 

These are the principal bones of the horse, and they 
are differently classified by different writers on the 
horse. 

Some consider the sacrum to be composed of five 
bones, called the sacral vertebrae. Others assert that 
the tail is composed of fifteen bones. 

The bones of the horse are differently constructed, 
some are solid, some hollow, and some are soft ancD 
spongy. The spongy bones are the ones that are most 



12 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

liable to disease and enlargement. The os pedis and 
os naviculare are especially subject to disease; as 
they are the bones within the hoof, and are exceedingly 
liable to injury. 

The bones that are hollow are the ones that are 
strongest ; as they are intended to be exposed to the 
greatest amount of strain, and to bear the burden of 
weight. Diseases of the bones are the ones that yield 
least readily to treatment. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. IS 

A HORSE'S AGE. 

It is a very difficult matter to lay down an exact 
rule, so that any person can fully and satisfactorily 
determine the age of a horse. Some depend entirely 
upon the teeth of a horse, in discovering his age; but 
there is a great difference in the shapes of the tseth, 
and I find but few persons, indeed, who can tell the 
age to a certainty, though I do find a great many pre- 
tenders who assert that the teeth are an accurate guide. 

For my own experience in the matter, I must say it 
is very- difficult for me to ascertain the exact age of a 
horse, if I judge by the teeth; for, horses teeth differ 
just according to the different ways in which they (the 
horses) have been kept. 

As it is impossible to give a perfect guide to a 
horse's age, I shall not occupy space in the book by 
laying down rules, that are in many instances inac- 
curate, but will only give the number of teeth, and 
not elaborate on the subject. A horse has forty teeth, 
when he has what is called a u full mouth," he has six 
nippers, twelve grinders, and two tushes in each jaw. 

As almost every one that is accustomed to horses, 
can tell a young horse from an old one, by the general 
appearance, and can tell the age up to five years, I will 



14 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

only explain another way by which a person can not 
be mistaken in telling whether a horse is under or over 
ten years old. That is, by the lachrymal duct, that 
conveys the moisture from the eye to the nostril. It 
has a little opening in the nostril, when the animal is 
under ten years of age, this opening lies in a little 
oblong slip, and when he is over ten, it becomes per- 
fectly round. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 15 

THE BLOOD. 

The blood is a fluid holding a large number of min- 
ute cells or corpuscles in suspension. Its general physi- 
cal characters are so well-known that we need merely 
say that it is of a dark red or purple color in the veins, 
and of a bright red or scarlet in the arteries ; that it is 
viscid, drying rapidly, and with a clammy feeling; salt 
to the taste, slightly alkaline, and with a specific gravity 
of about 1055. 

GENERAL COMPOSITION OF THE BLOOD. 

On standing, blood, under ordinary circumstances, 
soon separates into two parts — a fluid called the 
" serum," and a clot or "coagulum." The latter is 
not merely the cells or blood-corpuscles spoken of 
above as held in suspension, and which have subsided 
out of the fluid, but consists besides of fibrin which 
has been held in solution in the fluid blood, and 
which in its solidification has been inclosed and im- 
plicated the blood-corpuscles as they subside. The 
blood is thus seen to consist naturally of two parts, 
the plasma or liquor sanguinis, a fluid, rich in 
fibrin and the blood cells or corpuscles; and when 
drawn from the body, of two parts composed differ- 



16 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

cntly to the above, viz., the clot, which comprises the 
blood-corpuscles and the fibrin of the plasma, and 
the serum [which consists of the remainder of the 
plasma. 

The blood-corpuscles, blood-disks, or blood- globules, 
as they are more commonly called are of two kinds, 
the red and the white. The red globules are far the 
more numerous, and are those which are always in- 
tended when the expression blood-disks or blood- 
globules is used without any other qualification. Their 
color appears of a faint yellow when they are seen 
singly, but it is to their aggregation that the blood 
owes its red hue. 

When the blood is circulating under the microscope 
the blood-globules are seen to be separate from each 
other, and are also separated from the wall of the ves- 
sel by an interval or " lumen." 

Their shape is very soon influenced by the medium 
in which they are placed, and by the specific gravity 
of that medium. In water they swell up, lose their 
color and cease to be visible, leaving the white cor- 
puscles in the field. Solutions of salt or sugar denser 
than the serum, give them a stellate appearance, and 
the usual shape may be restored by diluting the solu- 
tion to the proper point. A solution of the proper 



THE COMMON-SENSE HOKSE BOOK. 17 

strength merely separates the blood- globules mechani- 
cally without changing their shape. 

There can be no doubt that the difference in color 
between arterial and venous blood must be due to some 
minute difference in the red blood-globules, and it is also 
in the highest degree probable that the chemical di Ter- 
ences between these two kinds of blood are due, in part 
at least, to such differences; but the change has not 
hitherto been rendered perceptible either to the micro- 
scope or to chemical analysis. 

At the same time, the researches of Prof. Stokes 
show that the coloring matter of the blood produces 
different effects on the solar spectrum, according as it 
is in a more or less oxidized condition; it is in the 
highest degree probable th it the same change in the 
oxidation of the contents of the blood-globules pro- 
duces the difference of color between arterial and 
venous flood. 

The fluid part of the blood, the liquor sanguinis or 
plasma is again composed of a permanently fluid por- 
tion — the serum — and of fibrin, which coagulates spon- 
taneously when out of the body, but *whieh is held in 
solution during life. 

The fibrin can be separated from blood after it has 
been drawn by whipping it with twigs,^to which the 



18 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

fibrin as it coagulates adheres. The liquor sanguinis 
may be obtained free from the red corpuscles "by mix- 
ing fresh-drawn blood with six or eight times its bulk of 
serum, allowing the red particles' to subside, and then 
decanting the supernatant fluid and filtering it through 
blotting paper." 

The offices and uses of the fibrin as well as its real 
nature, whether it exists as such in the living blood or 
is a product of the death of that fluid, have been and 
are the subjects of much difference of opinion. 

The fluid left after the coagulation of the fibrin, 
which is the serum of the blood properly so-called, is 
yellowish, and contains so much albumen that it solidi- 
fies almost completely on being heated. It is alkaline 
from the presence of free soda and carbonate of soda. 

The chemical composition of the blood is complex as 
might be anticipated of a fluid from which all the 
various tissues of the body are to be formed ; and it 
must, of course, vary in various parts of the circulation. 

LYMPH AND CHYLE. 

The lymph and chyle are almost identical in con- 
stitution, though the proportion of their constituent 
varies in different parts of the vascular system. The 
lymph is the secretion of a system of vessels and 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 19 

glands, which takes up from the worn out tissues that 
which is still available for purposes of nutrition, and 
returns it into the veins close to the heart, there to be 
mixed with the mass of blood. 

The chyle is a fluid secreted by the villi of the small 
intestines from the food. It is intermingled with the 
lymph, and is poured into the circulation through the 
same channels. 

In other respects lymph and chyle are indistin- 
guishable by microscopic examination, but in external 
appearance they are very different. 

Chyle is a milk-white fluid which coagulates spontan- 
eously, and then on standing separates more or less com- 
pletely into a clear part, the liquor chyli, which is iden- 
tical with the liquor sanguinis, and a thinnish jelly-like 
<jlot, consisting of fibrin in which chyle- corpuscles and 
the fatty molecules are entangled. The white color of 
the chyle is due to the abundance of the molecular base. 
Lymph, as its name implies, is a watery fluid. In the 
lymph the molecular base is absent, and the lymph- 
oorpuscles are yery few in number, and are said by 
Kolliker to be absent in the smaller vessels. Accord- 
ing to the same author, the size of the lymph-globules 
increases as the fluid ascends higher in the course of 
the circulation. In this view the lymph is at first a 



20 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

mere albuminous fluid, and the chyle at first a mere 
albumino-fatty fluid, the cells in both being produced 
during the passage of the fluid through the glands, and 
being further elaborated, and even new cells produced 
by the division of the old ones in the course of circula- 
tion. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 21 

THE PULSE. 

The pulse is one of the most important aids the vet- 
erinarians have to guide him in making a diagnosis of 
a disease, and in ascertaining the state of the general 
system. 

The pulse indicates the number of pulsations of blood 
from the heart. There can be no increased excitement 
of the system, whether brought on by exercise or by 
intense emotion, but it causes a corresponding increase 
of action of the heart ; by this disease is readily detected 
in the horse. 

The pulse may be discovered and counted in many 
places, as each artery is a pulse, but it is most easily 
discovered on the lower side of the jaw bone, as the sub- 
maxillary artery passes through this bone, and it may 
be distinctly felt on the leg, between the knee and the 
pastern joint. When the fingers are gently pressed 
upon either of the above mentioned places, there will 
be no trouble in finding a pulse. 

The natural beating of the pulse of a heavy draught 
horse in a healthy condition, is about thirty-six pulsa- 
tions per minute. In a light nervy horse, they will be 
from forty to forty-two per minute. 

When a horse becomes a little sick, the pulse will 



22 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

increase to from forty-five to fifty, then the horse is not 
considered in a dangerous condition, but when the pulse 
increases to from sixty to seventy-five pulsations a 
minute, the animal needs your immediate attention; 
for, from ninety to one hundred, death generally ensues. 

A quick throbbing pulse indicates inflammation. 

A hard pulse — feverishness. 

A small wiry pulse — general inflammation. 

A full corded pulse — always indicates some old 
chronic disease. 

An oppressed pulse — some inflammation of the lungs. 

Weak pulse — general debility of the system. 

Common sense should be employed in making up 
the mind with respect to the quickness of the pulse in 
different animals; such as, taking into consideration 
the temperament of the horse, and the kind of work he 
is employed in. For instance, a horse that is over- 
heated may quicken the pulse in many cases from six 
to twelve beats per minute ; sometimes a horse being 
frightened will cause the pulse to increase from eight 
to ten pulsations per minute. 

BLEEDING OR LETTING BLOOD 

Is a common practice among veterinarians, but as a 
general thing in my practice, I find blood-letting 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 23 

unnecessary. I consider the blood, the life of the horse, 
and as every horse is supposed to have one pound of 
blood for every sixteen pounds of flesh, you will find 
that for the amount of blood taken, the horse will be 
required to receive a certain amount of nutrition, in 
order to gain it back again, and to regain his strength. 

The only benefit that is derived from bleeding is that 
it relaxes the system,[and this may be done very readily, 
and much more conveniently, by using arterial seda- 
tives. But, in cases of fracture or of determination of 
blood to the brain, blood-letting may become necessary* 
but only in extreme cases. 

The most convenient place to bleed a horse, is in the 
jugular vein, as the blood flows faster at that pointy 
and, as the object is to affect the general circulation, it 
can be done at this point more easily than at any other. 
The operation is performed by placing a strap or cord 
around the animal's neck and drawing tight, this will 
throw the vein out more prominently; then take a 
common fleam, place it in a direct line over the vein 
and strike it rather forcibly with some instrument, in 

9 

order to cut through the vein. 

The operator should use judgment as to the amount 
of blood he draws, as some horses will not bear to have as 
large a quantity taken as others. He should also keep 



24 THE COMMON-SENSE HORS'E BOOK. 

his hand on the horse's pulse, and whenever it begins 
to falter, the blood should be stopped at once; for if you 
bleed beyond that, the vitality of the horse will be 
affected, and you will do more harm than good. 



THE COMMON-SE^toE HORSE BOOK. 25 

LUNG FEVER. 

This is one of the most dangerous of diseases, and is 
very difficult to treat with any success. We have very 
few veterinarians who can treat this terrible malady 
with skill. It should have the most prompt treatment 
in its earliest stages. This disease follows many others, 
such as bronchitis and pleurisy, and in many cases 
makes its appearance without the symptoms of any 
other disease whatever ; the horse through some cause, 
catching cold, it is first perceivable by the horse taking 
a severe chill, and a very high fever follows imme- 
diately 5 oftentimes there will be from two to three 
chills before the disease fully develops itself. 

Then it needs the strictest attention and utmost 
care, for it often baffles the skill of the best in the pro- 
fession; as some cases are so obstinate, that they will 
not yield to any medicine, and as it runs its course 
with great rapidity. 

Some horses have been known to die in from twelve 
to twenty-four hours after the disease has first developed 
itself. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The prominent symptoms in this disease are as fol- 
lows: The horse always droops his head and labors 



26 THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

under great difficulty in breathing ; his extremities will 
be extremely cold, which may be discovered by placing 
the hands on the legs of the horse ; his pulse will be 
found to have from fifty to sixty pulsations per minute ; 
he remains standing, refusing to lie down; his fore 
extremities are extended wide apart, in order to expand 
his lungs. 

TREATMENT. 

The object in treating this disease is to control cir- 
culation. This may be done, by using the most power- 
ful arterial sedatives , give : 

Tincture Veratrum Viride „ 2 oz. 

" Digitalis 1 oz. 

" Aconite ^ oz 

Sulphuric Ether £ oz. 

Place a light teaspoonful on the horse's tongue, every 
hour for three successive hours; then stop for four 
hours, and if the pulse appears high and corded, resume 
the medicine for three doses ; but if the pulse is lowered 
it is unnecessary, as this disease must be governed 
entirely by the pulse. The horse's legs should be 
bathed in a strong solution of English mustard, and 
vinegar; they should be well bandaged from the past- 
ern joint of the knee. 

The horse should be well clothed, and kept in a well 
ventilated stable. This treatment should be kept up 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 27 

until the pulse is sufficiently lowered ; then the follow- 
ing medicine should be administered : 

Tincture Muriate of Iron 2 oz. 

Quinine 30 gr. 

One teaspoonful should be given three times per day. 
This treatment rarely ever fails if the disease be taken 
in its earliest stages. 

Below is given some of the most favorable symptoms, 
by which it can be told whether the animal is improving 
or not; also some of the most unfavorable symptoms. 

The first favorable symptom will be noticed by the 
return of warmth to the animal's extremities, as circu- 
lation has then resumed a more natural course, and 
the pulse beats more regularly. 

If the animal is not improving but growing worse, 
the pulse will grow quicker, the nostrils become paler 
and assume a dirty color, the coldness of the joints 
will increase. 

The animal sometimes relaxes into a comatose state, 
and becomes entirely stupid; frequently the disease 
runs its course with such rapidity that the lungs be- 
come hepatized, then the case is beyond the reach of 
medicine. 



28 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

QUINSY. 

The practitioner may be easily mistaken in making 
a diagnosis of this disease, as the symptoms are similar 
to those of lung fever. 

It is first perceptible by the horse drooping, and 
being short of breath, and a seeming difficulty of get- 
ting his breath, sometimes he is given to wheezing ; this 
is caused by an inflammation of the glottis, and if any 
one puts his ear to the windpipe, he can hear a sort of 
gurgling sound. 

This disease affects the larnyx, and all the glands of 
the head; they become enlarged, and cause an enlarge- 
ment on the outer surface. This disease in its worst 
stages, is similar to diphtheria in the human family. 
It almost invariably impoverishes the blood. An 
animal h iving quinsy should be placed at once under 
the most skillful treatment, where it will receive the 
most assiduous attention ; as the disease runs its course 
with great rapidity, and horses will often suffocate in a 
very short space of time. 

TREATMENT. 

Whatever is done for quinsy, must be done as soon 
as the symptoms indicate the disease. The most 



THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 29 

prominent symptoms are coldness of the ears and legs, 
and quickness of the pulse. The first thing to be done 
is to govern the blood, and regulate the circulation. 
This may be done by using the following combination : 

Tincture Veratrum Viride 2 oz. 

" Digitalis ' 2 oz. 

" Ether J oz. 

" Aconite ^ oz. 

Give fifteen drops on the tongue every hour until 
the pulse is lowered. Then the horse must be placed 
under constitutional treatment ; this may be done ac- 
cording to the following directions : 

Mix Muriate of Iron 2 oz. 

With Quinine 30 gr. 

Add a tablespoonful of water, and give every three 
hours. Bathe the glands of the throat with the White 
Liniment. The animal should be well clothed, and 
kept in a clean airy stable, and his legs should be 
bathed with a mixture made of one quart of vinegar 
and one ounce of English mustard, as this warms them 
and assists circulation. 

A REMARKABLE CASE. 

During the preparation of this book for press, a case 
of quinsy came under my notice, which in the opinion 
of the public, acquainted with the case, it was almost 



30 THE COMMON -SENSE HOKS-E BOOK. 

useless to undertake. I was called upon by Messrs. 
Routh & Lackey, well known horsemen throughout the 
country, to take charge of a valuable animal almost 
hopelessly afflicted with the quinsy. When I first saw 
him, I found him short of breath, and wheezing so 
that he could be heard the distance of a square. Pulse 
very quick and hard ; the extremities and ears quite 
cold, and he looked as if it would baffle the skill of the 
most practiced veterinarian to save him But remem- 
bering the old thread-bare saying ** while there is life 
there is hope," I commenced the most rigid treat- 
ment ; treating the symptoms as they developed them- 
selves. 

I first lowered his pulse, by using the remedies given 
above for quinsy. I then administered a dose contain- 
ing 

Iodide of Potassium 4 gr. 

Quinine 6 gr. 

Opium . 1 gr. 

This appeared to relieve him considerably. I con- 
tinued this treatment for two days, giving the powder 
every four hours. I applied a fly blister to the glands 
of the throat ; the object of this being to draw the 
inflammation to the outer surface. His breath becom- 
ing fetid, I found it necessary to use a disinfectant. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HOUSE BOOK. 31 

After trying all the old disinfectants known to the pro- 
fession, without any satisfactory result, I remedied the 
difficulty by using chlorinated soda, which is a combina- 
tion of soda and lime. I also found that this assisted 
him in breathing. 

The horse remained in this very discouraging con- 
dition for several days, without eating, being kept alive 
by giving him the best of biandy and milk, in equal 
proportions, together with a small quantity of corn 
meal gruel. And had I not known of a better mode of 
drenching, than the ordinary method, it would have 
been impossible to administer any medicine to him. 

After giving him the closest attention for about two 
weeks, he began slowly to recover. 

I merely give this case, because I think it will be of 
benefit to some who may have horses afflicted in the 
same way. 



32 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

DISTEMPER 

Is a disease that all horsemen are acquainted with, and 
is- more prevalent among young horses than old ones. 
It is engendered by a change of stables and of air, and 
also by cold of any kind. It affects the larynx, and 
the membrane of the trachea. Distemper in most 
cases yields readily to treatment. I have used the 
following treatment with success : 

Chlorate of Potash 1 oz. 

Honey 1 pt. 

Mix well together and give a tablespoonful three 
times a day. Put it well back upon the tongue with 
a small paddle. Use the White Liniment on the glands 
of the throat, and keep the horse well clothed in a good 
airy stall, feed nothing but soft food, such as bran 
mashes with oats mixed in it. 

As a great many people think it necessary to smoke 
a horse that has distemper, I will give my mode of 
procedure. In my opinion, horses rarely ever derive 
any benefit from smoking; but if I were to smoke a 
horse, I would do away with the old practice of using 
leather, feathers, and brimstone, as it is very offensive 
both to man and horse. I would prefer to use a medi- 
cated paper, as it is more simple, and if there is any 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 33 

virtue in smoking at all, the animal will receive more 
benefit from it than from the others. It is made by 
making a strong solution of salt petre, and then soak- 
ing common brown paper in it for five minutes, dry it 
perfectly dry ; when it is set on fire it will burn like a 
fuse, and the horse can be smoked with it very readily. 
I have also used an antiseptic and derived great bene- 
fit from it. The one I use is made by taking one 
ounce of glycerine, and adding twelve drops of carbolic 
acid, and by swabbing out the nostrils thoroughly I 
generally bring the disease to a culmination, as this 
produces a free running at the nose. 



34 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

EPIZOOTIC. 

This disease is of a recent development, and was 
prevalent throughout the country in the 'last of the 
year 1872 and the first part of 1873. 

It was never known in America before the year of 
1872, but was in Germany in 1800. A Germ in 
prophet foretold that epizootic would make its appear- 
ance in America in the year 1872. I have but little 
faith in any prophecy, but strange to relate, this one 
was verified. 

I have never seen anything written on the sub- 
ject of epizootic in any of the works on the diseases 
of the horse, except in a small volume published 
by Professor Rockwell, in which he makes a slight 
allusion to the disease, but does not expatiate on the 
subject 

It is a disease peculiar to itself, and coming upon 
the country very suddenly, it took all veterinarians by 
surprise. 

It was first observed in the Eastern States, and 
in the cities of New York and Boston; it trav- 
eled with rapidity, and like the "star of empire'' 
took its way westward, never once stopping until 
it reached the Pacific shores. It was no respecter 



THE COMMON-SENSE HOKSE BOOK. 35> 

of horses, and all, from the finest thoroughbred, 
down to the commonest scrub, suffered equally and 
alike. 

There was never known such a universal epidemic 
among horses, and the victims of this malady were 
not a few. There seemed to be no special cause- 
for it, and it almost always made its appearance 
where it was least expected, and where the greatest 
pains had been taken to prevent it. Taken all in 
all, it caused one of the greatest sensations of the 
kind, the country has ever known, and people were 
made to fully realize the value of the horse, as the 
business of the country was almost completely sus- 
pended. 

In regard to my own personal experience in epizootic, 
and I can speak only from my own experience ; I may- 
say that I have treated scores of cases, among the 
most prominent was a Glencoe horse owned by Mr. 
Richard Anderson, a well known horseman of Xenia, 
Ohio. It was one of the most aggravated cases that I 
met in my travels. I found this animal's pulse 
beating about eighty pulsations per minute; he was 
frothing at the mouth, and apparently so much 
choked up that it was extremely difficult for him to- 
breathe. 



36 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

I at once lowered his pulse by administering the 
following medicines : 

Tincture of Veratrum Viride 2 oz. 

Tincture Digitalis __-, 1 oz. 

Aconite \ oz. 

Putting a teaspoonful of the above mixture on his 
tongue every thirty minutes, for three doses, then stop 
four hours, then I waited four hours, and then resumed 
the treatment. 

I cleansed his mouth with a solution of chlorate of 
potash, then made an external application of the Quick 
€ure on the glands of the throat then I took 

Muriate of Iron 1 oz. 

Adding Quinine . 10 gr. 

And gave him a teaspoonful every four hours, this re- 
lieved him in six hours, so that he was considered out 
of danger, and continued to grow better until he 
entirely recovered. But I can not take all the credit 
to myself, for I must say that I have never met with a 
gentleman who took better care of an animal, than did 
Mr. Anderson take of this one, and of course, the 
recovery was due in some measure, to the excellent 
nursing the horse received, as this is one of the essen- 
tials in treating any and all diseases. 

Should the epizootic become prevalent again, at any 
time, I should advise this same mode of treatment. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 37 

Some people think it is best to leave the disease 
to take its course, without the aid of treatment of any- 
kind ; but, as there are sometimes serious consequences 
that follow it, and often the effects of a disease are as 
injurious as the disease itself, I recommend the most 
skillful treatment. 



38 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

BOTS. 

This is a subject that has puzzled the minds of a 
great many people, and there are a great many 
theories in reference to the origination of the bot. 
We know that all our scientific writers on the horse, 
claim that there is no such thing as the bot. They 
also add after giving the above opinion, that "you had 
better trust your horse to nature than to an ignorant 
bot doctor." 

Some of these writers assert that the carbonic and 
oxygen gases of the stomach, through some cause, eat 
holes in the mucous membrane of the stomachy and this 
oauses the death of the horse, that people of different 
opinions, say died of bots. This view of the matter I 
think is improbable, though those gases may be taken 
up by absorption, and enter the circulation, and by 
poisoning the blood, death might be produced. 

Again, others say that a gad-fly flies in the field 
where the horses are in pasture, and as it flies, it 
lights upon the horses legs and lays eggs. The horse 
nips off these eggs, they pass through the mouth into 
the stomach, and in course of time, they hatch out 
into the bot. Now, it has been a question in my mind 
as to which one of these theories is correct. After 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 89 

considering the matter from all its points I have come 
to the conclusion, that the bot is born in the horse in 
the same way as worms are in children. Of course I 
I give this as my opinion, for I do not desire to con- 
demn any other opinions on the subject. 

Science has not yet decided what function bots per- 
form in the system, but my presumption is that they 
assist digestion. 

The bot is composed of nine hairy rings, and we 
have not a practitioner who can take his best scalpel 
cutting knife, and make an incision on one of them. 
They have no mouth, neither can they eat or drink, 
but they have the power of inhaling, and sustain life 
by inhalation. They hang by two little hooks in 
the tail, to the insensible coating of the stomach, 
and whenever the horse gets fermentation of the 
stomach, it causes them to bore into the mucous 
membrane, and this is frequently the cause of the 
horse's death. 

Many persons are misled in making a diagnosis of 
this disease, by thinking that because the horse looks 
around on, each side of him he has the bots; as that is 
called, in all the schools pointing, but that is an erron- 
eous impression, and I consider it no guide in discover- 
ing the ailments of a horse. 



40 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The most dependable symptoms of bots are as fol- 
lows: The horse is warm, extremities are warm, he 
switches his tail very frequently, and every third or 
fifth switch between his hind extremities. He stamps 
with his hind feet, lies down and rolls upon his back, 
gets up and stamps again as if he was trying to kick 
his abdomen, pulse quick and irregular. 

CUKE. 

One pint of linseed oil with one ounce of chloroform. 
Give as a drench. 

The linseed oil soothes all the inflamed parts, and 
the chloroform is as good a neutralizer as can be given. 
The stomach being perfectly tight the chloroform pene- 
trates every part of it, and the bots inhale it and be- 
come so stupefied, that they let go their hold on the 
lining of the stomach, and fall down a dead mass. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 41 

THE COLIC. 

As this is a somewhat condensed description of the 
horse and his diseases, I hardly think it necessary to 
explain each and every disease separately, by entering 
into a discussion of the several varieties of colic that 
most horse doctors claim to exist. They generally 
take up two or three pages in explaining spasmodic 
colic, which is an occasional pain in the stomach and 
intestines. They then consume an equal amount of 
space in explaining flatulent colic, which is caused by 
generation of gases in the stomach and intestines, and 
inflammation of the bowels which is sloughing of the 
mucous membrane of the intestines, and of the colon, 
which is the large intestine near the right flank. 

One medicine reaches all of these diseases, and so it 
is unnecessary to make an elaborate explanation of 
them. But I will simply say, that the colic is brought 
on by hard driving immediately after being highly fed, 
and in many cases nature will throw off the disease 
without the assistance of any medicine whatever, and 
the less medicine you give your horse the better it will 
be for him, for all that medicine does is to assist nature, 
and often nature will do the work alone. This is why 

so many simple medicines are recommended by the 

4 



42 THE COMMON-SENSE .HORSE BOOK. 

people at large; they being ignorant of the diseases 
peculiar to a horse, recommend a remedy of no value 
whatever in itself, nature does the work, while the 
medicine gets all the credit. . 

The horse resembles the human family in some 
respects, some are nervous, while others are not. 
Some horses being only a little ailing, will act as if 
they are at the point of death, and their pulse would 
not be increased more than from fifteen to twenty 
beats per minute. Another horse not having the same 
temperament as the above mentioned, will almost suf- 
fer death, and give no sign of sickness. 

You must be governed entirely by the pulse of a 
horse in ascertaining whether he is in any danger or not. 

Having had fifteen years experience in the treat- 
ment of the horse and his diseases, close observation 
has taught me, that in colic the best symptoms to be 
guided by are as follows : 

The pulse quick, ears cold, extremities cold, paws 
entirely with his fore feet, lies down, rolls, gets up and 
paws again, as before, more or less swollen. 

CURE. 

Laudanum 1£ oz. 

TiDCture Assafoetida 2 oz. 

Sulphuric Ether ; 1 oz. 

Essence Peppermint 1 oz. 

Warm Water £ pt. 

Given as a drench. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 43 

This is a recipe that I have used with wonderful 
success. If the animal is not better in fifteen minutes 
repeat the dose, half size. Keep the horse in a warm 
stall, clothe him well and keep him as quiet as possi- 
ble. Another remedy that I have used with success 
when other medicines were not available is as follows. 

CUKE. 

Bi Carbonate Soda 2 oz. 

Tincture Lobelia 1 oz. 

Warm Water ; J pt. 

Mix well together in the water, and give as a drench. 

There is still another remedy that I have derived 
great benefit from, when no medicines were to be had. 
That is to elevate the hind parts of the animal, for 
instance, lead him to a hill-side, and let him stand 
with his hind parts as high as possible. , This position 
throws the pressure off the diaphragm. I have had a 
very sick horse, and put him in the above described 
position, and let him remain so, for from ten to fifteen 
minutes, and then led him away entirely cured. 



44: THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

FISTULA. 

This is an affection of the serrates major, a tendon 
situated directly under the scalpula, and acts as a 
saddle for the scalpula, to keep it from creating a fric- 
tion. One of the most terrible mishaps a horse can 
meet with is to be attacked by fistula. It is brought 
on in various ways, kicks or bruises of any description 
or from any cause whatever they may happen, will 
bring on fistula, and when allowed to run on any 
length of time, it is one of the most obstinate diseases 
to cure that horse flesh is heir to. But if taken in 
time, when the pus is first discovered to rise to the 
surface of the skin, it is more easily managed than at 
any other stage of the disease. 

Almost every one in giving a remedy for fistula, 
recommends making an incision into the parts affected 
in order to get rid of the pus, but I have found that 
after an incision is made it becomes a running sore, 
and almost baffles the skill of the best veterinary sur- 
geon in our land. 

As it is almost impossible to cure the disease before 
the pus is gotten rid of, by taking a case in time, I 
have invariably met with success, and I prefer having 
the pus pass by absorption without making an incision, 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 45 

but as it is a long and tedious process after running, 
and the horse being rendered useless during all this 
time, a man must be possessed of both patience and 
courage to treat this dreadful disease. 

TKEATMENT. 

The treatment with which I have met the best suc- 
cess, consists in using very powerful medicines, and 
they must be used with utmost care and caution. 
They are given immediately below : 

Turpentine 1 pt. 

Iodide of Mercury . 1 oz. 

Mix the above together and apply sparingly to the 
parts affected with a feather, being careful not to get 
any on the hands. The hones blood should be kept 
in good condition by feeding and alteratives. 

This remedy is to be used after the fistula has begun 
to run. 

I have another remedy to be used before the fistula 
has begun to run. It is always the better plan to com- 
mence in time, before it has gone so far as to require 
opening, for then it is more easily driven away, and taken 
up by absorption in a shorter space of time. I use 

Turpenti ne . 1 pt. 

Gum Camphor J oz. 

Tincture Cantharides 1 oz. 

Oil of Spike 1 oz. 



46 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 






Apply to the affected parts with a brush or swab, 
being careful not to get any of it on the hands. Apply 
every morning until three applications are made, then 
wash off, and grease with lard, continue to repeat the 
operation until a cure is effected. 

POLE EYIL. 

This is an affection of the surrates minor. I find 
the diagnosis the same as, and the treatment similar 
to fistula. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 47 

THE EYE. 

The eye is one of the most important organs con- 
nected with the horse. From the fact that when your 
horse goes blind he is almost worthless. It is one of the 
most dtlicate parts of the horse to be treated, and is 
in many cases seriously injured through the ignorance 
of the horse doctor by his blowing salt, pulverized alum 
and other substances that are more or less hurtful to 
the eye, for it being a mucous membrane is easily 
irritated, and instead of irritating, the object in treat- 
ing the eye should be to allay all inflammation. 

There are a number of people who are under the im- 
pression that a horse has what is termed blind teeth. 
In my opinion that is one of the most erroneous idears 
that any person can be possessed of. When the eye 
of a horse begins to be affected, the people who are 
laboring under this mistaken belief, take their animal 
forthwith to a blacksmith, and have him knock out with 
his hammer these so-called blind teeth, and if this pro- 
cess has the desired effect, and causes the inflammation 
of the eye to subside, they of course believe that the 
teeth were the cause, and the knocking out was the 
cure, when in reality the benefit that is derived from 
the knocking out of the teeth is simply because it 



48 THE COMMON- SENSE HOUSE BOOK. 

makes a sore, and that draws the inflammation from the 
eye to the gum, having the effect of a counter irritant. 

There is no connection whatever between the teeth 
and the eye. The eye is a mucous membrane ruled by 
the optic nerve, and that conveys the sense of sight to 
the brain. The anatomy and structure of the eye is 
the same in the horse as in the human family. The 
crystalline lens of the eye, the aqueous humor, the 
conjunctiva (a delicate membrane that covers the front 
of the eye and the inside of the eyelids), and also the 
iris, a little curtain or net work, extending from the 
interior of the first chamber of the eye to the cornea, 
is just the same in the horse as in the human family. 

In treating common inflammation of the eye, I use 
the following remedy : 

CUKE. 

Raw Linseed Oil 1 oz. 

Sugar of Lead • ^_4 gr. 

Sulphate of Zinc 2 gr. 

Apply to the eye with a feather, then bleed in the 
angular vein, that is the vein which is prominent on 
the face of the horse beneath the eye. 

OPHTHALMIA. 

Ophthalmia or what is more commonly called " moon 
eyes." I am not disposed to believe that any intelli- 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 49 

gent man thinks the planet called the moon, has any 
influence over the eye of the horse. This disease is 
known to scientific practitioners as specific or peridois 
ophthalmia. The cause of it is stoppage of the lach- 
rymal duct, through nature's* neglect to do her duty. 
The lachrymal duct is the canal that conveys the mois- 
ture of the eye to the .nostril. 

The first thing to be done in treating this disease is 
to open the lachrymal duct, that is done by the use 
of a small swab with a weak solution of tobacco, after 
which give the organ the same treatment as in com- 
mon inflammation. 

SCUMS AND FILMS OF THE EYE. 

Are sometimes exceedingly difficult to remove, but 
they have been successfully treated by using the 
above remedies. 

CATAKACT. 

Another affection of the eye is called cataract. It 
affects the bottom of the crystalline lens, and it is 
beyond the skill of science to remove a cataract from 
the eye of a horse. 



50 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

SPAVIN 

This is an affection that is usually first observed on 
the hock-joint of the horse, and is most generally per- 
ceptible when the horse first shows signs of lameness. 

There are two kinds of spavin, one kind comes on 
the top of the splint bone (which derives its name from 
the peculiar way in which it is fastened to the outer or 
shank bone), and is always cartilagenous. 

The other variety of spavin is caused by a bruise, 
kick, or sprain which affects the periosteum, and the 
synovia fluid oozes out sometimes, and forms a kind of 
cartilage which grows and becomes ossified. There is 
nothing in the materia medica that will remove the 
ossification. All I claim to do is to take out the 
inflammation and cure the lameness, the enlargement 
must remain. 

The most reliable symptoms of spavin are as fol- 
lows : When you first commence to use your horse, if 
he is spavined, you will notice that he is very lame, 
after he is once warmed up to his work his lameness 
will diminish if not entirely disappear. Then when 
you leave him to rest from his labor and he gets cooled 
off you will find that he goes lame again. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 51 

TREATMENT. 

Turpentine . | pfc. 

Oil of Oraganum P 1 oz. 

Gum Camphor , J oz. 

Pulverized Cantharides 1 dr. 

Gum Euphorbia \ oz. 

Tincture Iodine \ oz. 

Apply to the parts affected for three successive 
mornings, then grease with lard for three mornings, 
after which wash off the lard, and apply the prepara- 
tion in the same manner until a cure is effected. 

RING-BO^E 

Is treated in the same manner as spavin. 



52 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

HEAVES. 

This is a disease that almost unfits a horse for any 
kind of service, and it is considered incurable as it is 
supposed to be an affection of the lungs ; but, if a man 
takes a common- sense view of the matter, he will see at 
once, that if a horse's lungs were so affected it would 
be impossible to lead him eight or ten miles, much less 
work him, and make him draw heavy loads as many do. 

This fact proves to my mind, that the disease is 
located in an entirely different organ. There is in the 
horse's throat a valve that is called the glottis. From 
some accident this valve gets irritated, and often it 
becomes so much lacerated that it becomes a running 
sore. After having discovered the seat of the disease, 
we must then seek to remedy it. I have used the fol- 
lowing remedy for heaves with much success. 

Balsam Copaiba 1 oz. 

" of Peru I oz. 

Then add a sufficient .quantity of Prepared Chalk to 
make ten pills, give one of these pills every morning. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 53 

STRING-HALT. 

String-halt is a disease of the horse that considerably 
depreciates him in value, and is also very detrimental 
to his movements. It is considered incurable as scien- 
tific writers assert that it is an affection of the nerve 
that extends downward in the horse's hind extremities. 
Now, reasoning from a common-sense point of view, if 
a man were to have an affection of the biceps muscle, 
the hand would have a tendency to draw towards the 
shoulder, and so we find on the hind-quarters of the 
horse a muscle that is termed the superior or major 
muscle, also the muscular biceps, so when these mus- 
cles are contracted they cause the horse to make an 
awkward spasmodic movement, just as the arm of a 
.man does when the biceps muscle is similarly affected. 

In treating this ailment, we must relax the muscles. 
The remedy I use for doing this is given as follows : 

CURE. 

Goose Grease . 4 oz. 

OH of Cajiput 1 oz. 

Make a mixture and apply to the parts affected. 

Allow me here to relate a remarkable instance of 
how a horse was cured of String-halt. 

A reliable gentleman residing in Lebanon, Ohio, 



54 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

asserts positively, that he thoroughly cured one of 
the worst cases of String-halt ever known, by simply 
saturating the muscles two or three times per day 
with common goose oil. The oil on account of its 
penetrating nature, affected the muscles in such a way 
as to relax them, and remove the disease. 

Another case that fell under my notice, was an inci- 
dent related by a very reliable resident of Wabash, 
Indiana, in this case the String-halt was cured by the 
application of sweet oil. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 55 

SPLINT. 

This is a very common disease, and is known to all 
horsemen, who consider it a harmless malady, as the 
general opinion is that it entirely disappears without 
any treatment whatever between the ages of seven and 
nine; yet I have seen horses that were made t>f little 
account, comparatively, because of splint. 

The cause of this ossification growing on the cor- 
poral bone of the horse has never been satisfactorily 
explained to me. My own idea of it is, that it is caused 
by the animal having received some unusual bruise 
from the kicks of another horse, or from a blow that has 
been given him, and it may arise from a bruise he has 
given himself while in the stall or pasture. For that 
without a doubt would injure the periosteum, the fibrous 
membrane that covers the bones, and in my opinion 
conveys the nutrition to the bones. 

A bruise will affect the periosteum in such a manner 
as to cause an enlargement to grow under the surface of 
the skin. Sometimes splint grows on the parts of the leg 
where it interferes with the tendon, and it may some- 
times be found immediately on the joint, and when it 
is on or over a joint it becomes necessary to place the 
horse under treatment to relieve it of the lameness. ' 



56 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

The best application to be made for splint is given 
below. 

CURE. 

Tincture Iodine . ; 1 oz. 

" Cantharides 1 oz. 

Gum Camphor | oz. 

Oil of Oraganum ^ oz. 

Apply to the parts diseased for three mornings in 
succession, then grease with lard in the same manner, 
after which apply again until a cure is effected. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 57 

ACUTE FOUNDER. 

In my opinion there is no such thing as chest or 
water founder, and I think if any man will take a com- 
mon-sense view of the matter (as the horse is com- 
parative anatomy to the human family), he will find 
it is impossible for either man or beast, to eat or drink 
so much as to make him lame. As founder invariably 
ruins the feet, I have found by close observation, that 
the seat of the disease lies entirely in the feet. 

There are many horses in the country that are suf- 
fering from a disease known as hoof rot, and when a 
horse is foundered it is caused by over eating and 
drinking when his feet are so diseased. The over-eat- 
ing and drinking produces an inflammation which set- 
tles in the feet, and that is founder. 

I always treat the forefeet for founder and meet 
with success. By placing your horse's feet in water 
that is as hot as he can bear, and letting them remain 
for six hours, being careful to keep up the tempera- 
ture of the water, even increasing it as he becomes 
accustomed to the heat, you will find him greatly 
improved at the end of the above specified time. 

After this, I use the Hoof Ointment, heating it into 



58 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

the bottom of the hoof with a hot iron, and immediately 
afterwards give the horse a physic. 

CHRONIC FOUNDER. 

This is an exceedingly difficult matter to remedy, 
for in many cases you will find that the hoof of the 
horse has grown entirely out of shape. The best treat- 
ment I have ever found is to take the horse to the 
blacksmith's shop, and have his feet trimmed down as 
low as possible, then use the Hoof Ointment on the 
bottom of the foot. When the shoe is nailed on, be 
careful not to have it drawn too tight. In the mean- 
time feed him alteratives. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 59 

TETANUS OR LOCKJAW. 

This is one of the diseases of the horse that is most 
to be dreaded, as it is exceeding difficult to cure. For- 
tunately, it is of very rare occurrence in this country. 
It is caused by the injury of some nerve, and it is 
accompanied by the most excruciating pain. 

If any nerve is torn or lacerated it soon conveys 
the derangement throughout the entire nervous system, 
and causes the contraction of every muscle. The 
horse's jaws become so much tightened that he fre- 
quently dies from the want of nutrition, to support 
life ; so, in many cases it is necessary to use clysters of 
cornmeal gruel every four or eight hours, this will 
afford some sustenance. 

The object in treating this disease is to relax the 
system, and this is the only means by which a cure 
can be effected. For doing this I have used the fol- 
lowing combination : 

Laudanum 1 oz. 

Tincture Assafoetida 2 oz. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 oz. 

Mix with half pint of warm water and give as a drench. 

LOCKJAW. 

I have used chloroform for relaxing the system with 
satisfactory results. I have used from one to three 



60 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

ounces, by taking a sponge, and saturating it with the 
chloroform, and keeping it close to the animal's nose 
until he is under the influence of it. Then I take 

Alcohol . 1 pt. 

Capsicum 1 oz. 

Make a mixture, and rub his legs and also his spinal 
column. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 61 

WIND-GALLS. 

Come, usually, near to the pastern joint, and in most 
cases they, do but little harm, except being an eye-sore 
to admirers of horse flesh; they depreciate the horse in 
value. 

Many claim to have a cure for wind-galls, but I 
have tried my utmost to remove these protuberances, 
and have failed to effect a positive cure. I have also 
spent large quantities of money in purchasing these 
pretended cures, and considerable time in experiment- 
ing with them, and all with no success. 

Some assert that fish-worm oil will remove wind 
galls, but I have found that it is composed of the com- 
monest of all oils, and there is no particular virtue in 
it. And I would advise all horse owners not to invest 
in these spurious remedies for wind-galls, for it is sim- 
ply a waste of money. 

A wind-gall is a rupture of the little veins or sacks 
near the pastern joint. After these sacks or veins are 
broken, a yellowish water exudes, and this water in- 
closes itself in little sacks, called wind-galls, deriving 
their names from a former supposition that these sacks 
contained wind. It is almost impossible to remove 
them by absorptions. I have^given temporary relief, 



62 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

but have found that when the horse is put to hard 
work the wind- galls return. 

REMEDY. 

Pulverized Cantharides 1 dr. 

Tincture Iodine 1 oz. 

Oil of Spike . J oz. 

Sweet Oil 2 oz. 

Apply for three consecutive days, and grease after- 
wards to prevent the hair from, being disturbed, after 
which wash clean and apply again ; this process, to- 
gether with the use of a pad over the afflicted part, 
and a bandage used at night will so far remove the 
enlargement as to make it almost imperceptible. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 63 

WARTS. 

These are small tumors of various shapes and sizes, 
that grow on the surface of the horse's skin, and are 
generally caused by high feeding and limited exercise. 
Young horses are more liable to have warts on them 
than older ones. There are two kinds of warts — seed 
warts and blood warts. 

Seed warts are small, and make their appearance on 
the nose and belly of the horse, growing in clusters 
and bunches. They have in them little grains, known 
by the name of "seeds." They are connected with the 
scarf-skin, and grow down towards the cellular mem- 
brane; from this they receive their growth, and each 
of these seeds has its origin in this membrane, which 
is called its root. The roots must be destroyed before 
warts can be removed. 

BLOOD WARTS. 

Are of a more serious character than seed warts, as 
they are a growth of flesh from some membrane, and 
are filled with blood, which flows quite freely whenever 
they are much irritated. They are found on the hock 
and pastern joints more commonly than in any other 
place, and sometimes over the eye, but have no par- 
ticular settled location, and will spread and enlarge, and 



64 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

when one makes its appearance there are many to fol- 
low. Sometimes they are found hanging by stems. 
These are more easily removed than the others, for a 
tight ligature can be placed around them, which severs 
them from the body. After they have been cut off, I 
touch the diseased part with nitrate of silver. 

CUKE FOE WAETS. 

Apply Nitrate of Silver. 

GEAPE LEGS. 

This disease is commonly known to farmers and 
others as big, or milk leg, and is brought about by 
some bruise, kick, or cut, and also by the animal re- 
ceiving a poisonous bite or sting. Any one of these 
causes will produce an enlargement, and the leg be- 
comes so much swollen that the cuticle, or outer skin 
breaks. 

I have, never been able to discover a remedy to pre- 
sent to the public, and there is no remedy except an 
external application. Great benefit may be derived 
from using any good liniment that will act as a liquid 
bandage. This disease renders the animal almost 
useless and worthless, and as there can be no perma- 
nent cure, there is not much use to waste time and 
money on it. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 65 

SWEENY OR SWINNY. 

This is a derangement of the muscles directly over 
the scalpula or shoulder blade. It may be occasioned 
in different ways. For instance, if a horse gets his 
foot injured, he will most naturally hold it in such a 
position that it will be shielded from bearing any of his 
weight, and this disuse of the muscles will cause them 
to shrink or wither. Also, young horses when put to 
heavy drawing, that they are not accustomed to, will, 
by over exertion, sprain the ligaments and muscles of 
the shoulder, and this causes sweeny. 

As there is no treatment except external applica- 
tions, I use the following : 

Oil of Spike 1 oz. 

Oil of Amber 1 oz. 

Turpentine 2 oz. 

Linseed Oil \ pt. 

Make a mixture and apply to the parts affected for 
three days ; grease for three days, then wash off and 
apply as before, until a cure is effected. 

HIP-SWEENY. 

As hip-sweeny is of rare occurrence, and as it is simi- 
lar in its nature to the sweeny above described, and 
known by the lameness of the horse, and shrinking 



66 THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

of the hips, it must be treated in all cases like sweeny 
in the shoulder, 

SIT-FASTS. 

A sit-fast is a small lump that comes between the 
flesh and the outer skin, and it is caused from saddle 
and collar galls. The easiest way to remove them is 
to use a sharp knife, as they don't yield readily to 
medicine. 

I take the lump between my thumb and fingers, and 
make two incisions across the top of it, and with a 
slight pressure upon it, it will come out. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 67 

WORMS. 

There are many varieties of worms in the horse, and 
they are not detrimental to his physical condition un- 
less there is too great an accumulation of them. 
First, we have the white worms, and they are from 
eight to ten inches long, and are most generally found 
in the intestines. 

Then we find a darker colored and smaller worm, 
commonly called the " needle worm." This kind is 
usually found in the horse's intestines, and they some- 
times descend into the rectum in large numbers. This 
gives rise to an irritation which causes the disease 
known as rubbing the tail. 

When a horse is diseased with worms, he is poor in 
flesh, his hide is tight, the hair stands upright over his 
body, and sometimes these worms pass from him. A 
horse can never be put in good condition while he is 
afflicted with too great an accumulation of worms. 

CURE. 

Santonine 25 gr. 

Linseed Oil 1 oz. 

Tinct. Rhei , 1 oz. 

Mix and divide into three equal parts, and give in 
doses four hours apart. After which the horse should 
be given one pint of linseed oil. 



68 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

ANOTHER RECIPE FOR WORMS. 

Powdered Areca Nut — Give one teaspoonful morn- 
ing and evening; two doses will be sufficient. After 
which the animal should be given a pint .of oil to work 
off the medicine. 

RUBBING THE TAIL. 

As said before, the cause of this disease originates 
from worms. Many are mistaken in thinking it is a 
humor of the tail, when it is only the worms that irri- 
tate the rectum. 

CURE. 

Inject a solution of Sulphuric Ether. 

If this does not allay the irritation, it is simply an 
irritation of the anus, and it needs to be greased 
thoroughly with citrate ointment. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 69 

STABLE GALLS. 

These come on the elbow, and are caused by the 
position in which the horse lies in resting, as he places 
his foot in such a way that it brings the pressure of 
the foot so that it rests upon the affected parts. 

In order to effect a cure, it is necessary to commence 
treatment when the galls are first noticed, as you will 
find them quite obstinate to cure after they have been 
neglected for a length of time. 

By using a strong liniment I disperse the watery 
substance that has accumulated, and as this applica- 
tion makes a sore that is tender to the touch, the ani- 
mal will naturally change his position so that his foot 
will not touch and irritate the tender part. 

CURE. 

Use the Spavin liniment, and sometimes it is neces- 
sary to put in a rowel. 



70 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

ENLARGED HOCK. 

Is brought on by the animal being bruised or sprained, 
and if left too long, is very hard to remove, as it is of 
a callous nature. If taken when hurt, and bathed with 
warm water, there will be a great benefit derived; 
after which make a liniment of 

Oil of Sassafras 1 oz. 

Spirits of Camphor „ 1 oz. 

Belladonna . J oz. 

Turpentine , f oz. 

Sweet Oil 4 oz. 

And apply to the parts affected. 

CORNS 

affect the foot of the horse, and are usually found on 
the inside quarter. The principal cause of corns is bad 
shoeing, or leaving the shoe remain on the foot too long. 
They are exceedingly painful to the animal, causing 
him to favor the foot and go lame, and they give the 
owner considerable annoyance. 

TREATMENT. 

The shoe should be removed, and the part of the 
hoof that is situated over the corn should be pared 
down until the corn is reached, after which apply the 
hoof ointment, 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 71 

FARCY. 

This disease is to be found in horses that have been 
neglected in their keeping. It is considered by some 
to be contagious ; as it is generally connected with 
glanders; but I have known a great many cases, where 
glanders was not associated with it. I presume it to be 
an affection of the blood. It makes its appearance on 
the horses neck, hips, belly and legs ; and forms itself 
into little pustules from which a yellowish water ex- 
udes. As a general thing before these little pustules 
form, the animal suffers from loss of appetite, and 
becomes somewhat debilitated. 

The best and surest way of managing this disease 
is to keep the animal to himself as much as possible, 
and the treatment would have to be that of purifying 
the blood. The first thing to be done will be to give 
the horse a very strong physic ; this may be done by 
dissolving one ounce of aloes in a pint of warm water, 
and putting this in a quart of linseed oil, and giving 
it as a drench. The horse should be turned out on 
grass if convenient, and if not, he should have from 
two to three bran mashes per week, for this will act 
as a relaxative, and is made by taking a third of a 
bucket of wheat bran, and adding one tablespoonful of 



72 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK, 

sulphur ; then scald the bran with boiling water, taking 
care to cover tightly so the steam will not escape. 
Let it stand six hours then it will be ready for use. 
The horse should also be fed -on condition powders. 
These directions followed closely will effect a cure. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HOUSE BOOK. 73 

GLANDERS. 

This disease is pronounced incurable by every one ; 
therefore I shall attempt no treatment. It is an affec- 
tion of the membrane of the nostril, the same as catarrh 
in the human family, and is considered contagious; 
but this is an unsettled question in my mind, as I have 
known horses to work for months beside this disease, 
and to be fed out of the same trough from which horses 
diseased with glanders had eaten, and never have the 
disease. 

As glanders affects the constitution more or less, the 
treatment will have to be constitutional. In many cases 
momentary relief may be given, by syringing the nos- 
tril with a solution of Tanin ; at the same time giving 
the horse tonics ; and as I consider the malady incur- 
able I will give no remedy for the cure of it. 



74 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

SURFEIT, 

Is an affection of the skin. It is by no means a danger- 
ous disease, as all horses are liable to become surfeited- 
It makes its appearance most generally, when the horse 
is thin in flesh, and the hair and skin are exposed to 
the weather, when the blood is impure and there is an 
unhealthy condition of the entire system. It is occa- 
sioned by neglect, and I have known horses to become 
surfeited, that have had the best of treatment. 

This disease is first noticable on the shoulders, hips 
and belly. Little pustules appear on the surface, and 
from these exudes a whitish-like matter ; it escapes in 
small quantities and forms into little scabby excresences, 
and these become sore. 

TKEATMENT. 

It is not necessary to place the horse under any 
special treatment, as a blood purifier] of any description, 
will allay the inflammation. In very obstinate cases, 
the remedy for scratches may be used. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 75 

GRAVEL. 

This disease is first discovered in the kidneys and 
bladder. The gravel- stones, or calculi, are more fre- 
quently found in the bladder, although in my opinion 
they exist there as secondary results. They first form 
in the kidneys and pass into the bladder while quite 
small ; they continue to grow and enlarge until they 
are of a considerable size. 

When these stones are somewhat large, they can be 
discovered by introducing the hand into the rectum 
and pressing the bladder, which is situated immedi- 
ately underneath. In this way the calculi can be easily 
detected. 

During the existence of this malady, the animal 
suffers the most acute pain. But fortunately this dis- 
ease is of rare occurrence among horses. The symp- 
toms are similiar to those of stalling. 

CUKE. 

Fluid extract Buchu 1 oz. 

Tinct. Hydrangea 1 oz. 

Give a tablespoonful three times per day until the 
animal is relieved. 



76 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

INFLAMMATION OP THE BRAIN 

is a disease that is of rare occurrence in the horse 
family. I have had several cases to come under my 
observation, and have had one or two that were in an 
almost hopeless condition. These horses I found were 
drooping their heads almost to the ground, and were in 
a staggering condition. The pulse was irregular. In 
such cases I find blood letting necessary. 

I at once took a gallon and a half of blood, and ad- 
ministered a severe cathartic, composed of one ounce 
of Aloes dissolved in a pint of warm water, and to this 
I added one quart of Linseed Oil. This combination 
relaxed the system, and gave relief in twenty-four 
hours. The horse speedily recovered without any fur- 
ther treatment. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK.' 77 

BLIND STAGGERS. 

I have been called upon to treat but few cases of 
this malady, as it is rarely met with in the Northern 
States. But I have treated cases in which the symp- 
toms were synonymous with those of blind staggers. 
I found the animal in a reeling, staggering condition, 
appearing to have no control over his actions. 

METHOD OF TKEATMEJNT. 

I immediately opened the jugular vein and extracted 
about a gallon and a half of blood. Allow me to re- 
mark here that, in my general practice, I do not ap- 
prove of blood-letting, but in this case it seemed to be 
necessary to do so. 

After bleeding the horse, I administered a strong 
cathartic, using one quart of linseed oil, and after dis- 
solving one ounce of Aloes in a pint of warm water, I 
added it to the oil. In this way I relieved the animal 
in from twelve to twenty-four hours. 



78 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

CUEB. 

This is a derangement of the sheath — that is, the 
inner wall of the skin, the skin being composed of 
three walls. Through some mishap, the inner wall be- 
comes broken, and this allows the tendon to project so 
much that it produces an enlargement. 

To remove this, anything can be used that will act 
as a liquid bandage ; and curb can be cured if taken 
in time, letting the horse have perfect rest. 

CURE. 

Gum Camphor 2 02. 

Belladonna J oz. 

Tupentine . | oz. 

Pulverized Cantharides 1 dr. 

Pulverize the Gum Camphor, mix with lard suffi- 
cient to make a paste ; then add the remainder of the 
ingredients, and apply to the parts affected for three 
days ; grease for three times, then wash off and apply 
again, until a cure is effected. 

In obstinate cases use same remedy as for spavin. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 79 

LAMPAS. 

This disease is commonly met with in young horses, 
and is of no serious consequence, as it is only an inflam- 
mation of the bars of the roof of the mouth, which 
nature has placed there to assist the tongue in convey- 
ing the food back for the teeth to masticate. 

This disease may be remedied very easily by taking 
a small sharp knife and scarifying the bars, being care- 
ful not to cut too deep, as an artery lies near to the 
surface, this will allay the inflammation. 



80 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

HIDE-BOUND. 

This is a disease caused by the closing of the pores 
of the skin. The hide adheres to the ribs, and the 
hair is deprived of its glossy color, and- is no longer 
smooth as it is natural for it to be in health. 

My opinion is that this is a disease of the skin, or 
of the entire system of the horse. To accomplish a 
cure, it is necessary to renovate the system and purify 
the blood; this may be done by giving two ounces of 
Aloes dissolved in a pint of warm water, and mix with 
one pint of Sweet Oil. 

Then feed the Condition Powders. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 81 

SUPPRESSION OP URINE OR STALLING. 

This disease may be occasioned by stricture of the 
urethra, or by the inflammation of the neck of the 
bladder. But let it originate from whatever cause it 
may, it is necessarily exceedingly painful. 

The symptoms are very similar to those of Inflam- 
mation of the Bowels, and Stone in the Bladder, and 
any one might be mistaken in distinguishing between 
them. The principal symptoms are seen in the general 
uneasiness of the animal, and the frequent repetition 
of the actions of an animal desiring to urinate. 

TEEATMENT. 

Tincture Uva Ursi 1 oz. 

Fluid Extract Buchu - . 1 oz. 

Make a mixture and give a tablespoonful three times 
per day. 



82 THE COMMON-SENbJE HOUSE BOOK. 

THUMPS. 

This is a disease with which all veterinarians are 
acquainted, although few of them know the real origin 
of it 

My idea of this malady is that it is situated in the 
pulmonary artery ; the one that conveys the blood 
from the right ventricle to the lungs. Through some 
derangement, the walls of the artery become thickened 
and enlarged ; this seriously obstructs the natural cir- 
culation of the blood. When the horse has been over- 
worked and overheated, the heart is made to beat 
faster, and the blood is so much excited that it passes 
through this channel or artery at a very much in- 
creased speed, this disorders the circulation, and gives 
to the disease known as thumps. 

It is not prevalent in any particular class of horses, 
although I find that horses that have a full supply of 
blood suffer more frequently from it than those that 
are thin blooded. 

There is no permanent cure for this disease, although 
the animal can be relieved to some extent, by placing 
five drops of Aconite on the tongue, and if the animal 
is not relieved by the first dose, repeat the dose at 
intervals of from thirty to sixty minutes until there is 



THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 83 

a change for the better perceived. I have never known 
this to fail in from one to two doses. 

BLOOD OR BOG-SPAVIN. 

My opinion is that this disease is caused by the 
breaking of the little veins, this produces a lameness, 
and forms what veterinary surgeons call 

THOROUGH PIN. 

This is in most cases incurable, and as I think use- 
less for a man to spend his time and money, without 
deriving any benefit. I therefore give no positive 
cure. The remedy advised in curing spavin, will 
remove lameness, but it will do nothing more. 



84 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

STIFLE. 

A sprain of the ligaments that connect the femur 
with the tibia bone, is commonly termed stifle, and is 
brought on by some unusual exertion of the horse. It 
is considered a very serious variety of lameness, but 
if taken in time it is easily remedied. Some opinions 
on the subject of stifle are that the tibia bone is 
thrown out of joint, but it would be impossible to do 
this, unless the ligaments were torn sufficiently to al- 
low the bone to protrude, and this being done, in 
nine cases out of ten, tetanus or lock-jaw would ensue. 
Experience has taught me that it is nothing more than 
a severe sprain, and if taken in time it can be reme- 
died by the use of the following : 

One ounce of gum camphor, pulverized, and suffi- 
cient lard to make a thick paste ; to this add one 
ounce of Aconite. Apply - to the affected parts and 
heat in with a hot iron. 

Repeat until three applications have been made. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 85 

BIG-HEAD 

Is a disease rarely known in the Northern States, 
though it prevails to some extent in the South. Some 
claim that it originates entirely from the teeth ; others 
claim that it is in the blood. My opinion is that it 
is in the blood, judging from the actions and appear- 
ance of the horse. When a horse has an attack of 
big-head, he becomes stiff apparently from a contrac- 
tion of the muscles ; he also becomes thin and poor in 
flesh ; seems to droop, and is very sluggish in his 
movements. 

In order to effect a cure it will be necessary to 
treat the blood ; this can be done by giving strong 
purgatives, followed by feeding the Condition Pow- 
ders. On the nasal bone there will be found an en- 
largement, which must be treated with the following 
medicine : 

Linseed oil 1 pt. 

Oil of Spike 1 oz. 

Turpentine 2 oz. 

Pulverized Cantharides 1 dr. 

Apply to the affected parts ; heat in with a hot iron 
for three days ; then grease for three, wash off, and 
apply as before. 



86 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

RHEUMATISM 

is supposed to be common among horses, but I have 
met with very few cases during my fifteen years' 
practice. If you take the opinion of the inexperi- 
enced in the matter, almost every case of cramps 
would be rheumatism. If a horse is affected with 
rheumatism, his joints will necessarily be affected, and 
it is accompanied by the most severe paiu. 

Eheumatism is caused by exposure and neglect ; 
and it often affects the shoulders in such a manner as 
to render them useless. 

TEEATMENT OF EHETJMATI3M. 

The first treatment must be to relax the entire sys- 
tem ; this is done by dissolving one ounce of Aloes in 
a pint of warm water, and mix this with a pint of lin- 
seed oil. 

GIVE AS A DEENCH. 

Bathe the affected parts in a mixture made as fol- 
lows: 

Gfoose Grease 4 oz. 

Oil of Cajiput • *., 1 oz. 

Oil of Cedar \ oz. 

Chloroform | oz. 

Spirits of Camphor.., \ oz. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 87 

CRAMPS. 

This is a disease of the horse that is caused by over 
exertion, or by sprains of some kind. It is a contrac- 
tion of the muscles of the leg ; and is sometimes occa- 
sioned by the horse being stabled in a small, narrow 
stall, which compels him to stand in an uncomfortable 
position. This position has a tendency to contract the 
muscles and render them unpliable, and they refuse 
to act, because the blood has not been allowed to cir- 
culate freely. After the nerves are brought into action 
the animal seems unable to control the muscles, and 
they jerk and move in a very disagreeable manner. 

Cramps are similar to rheumatism, and painfnl in 
the extreme, sometimes resulting in lameness. The af- 
fected muscle may be discovered, by close examina- 
tion, and a pressure of the hand on the tender part, as 
the horse will flinch and shrink from the touch of the 
hand. 

TREATMENT. 

Sweet Oil 2 oz. 

Gum Camphor £ oz. 

Cajiput . J oz. 

Belladonna \ oz. 

Rub in well with the hands. 



88 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

WEAKNESS ACROSS THE LOINS 

is sometimes termed inflammation of the kidneys ; it 
is occasioned by some sprain, or by the derangement 
of the urinary organs. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms of this disease are as follows : when 
the pressure of the hand is put upon the horse's back, 
he will be seen to shrink and bend as if it gave him 
pain. He also when walking, has a dragging manner 
of gait, as if it required great exertion on his part to 
use his hind extremities. 

TKEATMENT. 

This disease requires treatment in its earliest stages ; 
as it always unfits a horse for use, and when of long 
standing, it is difficult to manage. Make an applica- 
tion of the White Liniment directly over the loins. 
Then make a mixture of 

Balsam Copaiba - m ~ 1 oz. 

Fluid Extract Buchu 1 oz. 

Add one tablespoonful of water and give it three 
times per day. 



THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 89 

THICK WIND. 

This name is applied to an ailment of the horse, 
when he experiences a difficulty in breathing. I have 
known some horses to make a sort of gargling sound 
in their nostrils ; others breathe as if they had a thick- 
ening of the membrane of the trachea, or an affection 
of the bronchial tubes. This thickening accompanies 
various diseases, such as distemper, lung fever, etc., etc. 
In some cases of lung fever, parts of the lungs thicken 
or become hepatized, and the cells are closed, this 
would naturally cause quick and hard breathing. 

Some claim that tight reining is the cause of thick 
wind, but be that as it may, in my opinion tight rein- 
ing is in itself cruelty to a horse, and deserves censure 
on all occasions. 

CURE FOR THICK WIND. 

Make an application of the quick cure on the glands 
of the throat. 



90 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

WOUNDS. 

As it is not an unusual thing for horses to become 
wounded, by being kicked or hurt in such a manner as 
to lacerate the skin, and make it necessary to put in 
sutures, it will not be amiss to giye the mode of 
procedure. 

I first cleanse the wound perfectly, then I prepare a 
suture of about five threads of saddler's silk, "well 
waxed, pass the sutures through the lips of the wound, 
draw them together and tie the thread tight. The 
sutures must be put in about two inches apart, as there 
must be space enough between them to allow of sup- 
puration. 

It is best to have the wound to heal by the first 
intention ; this may be done by applying the carbolic 
oil. This is a combination of 

Sweet Oil 1 oz. 

Carbolic Acid . 20 gr. 

An application of this kind sets up a healthy gran- 
ulation, and is one of the best combinations known in 
the profession. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HOUSE BOOK. 91 

COUGHS AND BAD COLDS 

The organs of respiration are oftentimes affected by 
a cough, which is caused by the inflammation and irri- 
tation of the throat, trachea and lungs ; sometimes this 
cough is occasioned by the horse having taken cold, 
and as the throat and lungs become inflamed and 
tender, the inhalation of cold air will have a tendency 
to irritate them and produce a cough. This cough or 
cold should have immediate attention, for if it is neg- 
lected it may be productive of serious results. 

There is in the throat and lungs, when in a perfect 
healthy condition, a vapor or moisture, when these 
organs become dry and inflamed, they are easily 
irritated, because the requisite moisture does not exist 
as it should, and the cold air passing through them, in 
this condition, causes a disagreeable sensation, and 
the animal coughs to relieve it ; this coughing irritates 
the throat still more, and the longer it is neglected, the 
more troublesome it becomes. So it is better that the 
animal should receive prompt attention in order to 
prevent the ailment developing into an incurable 
disease. 



92 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

TKEATMENT. 

My mode of treating a cough is as follows : 

Dover Powders . .__ 5 gr. 

Quinine „ 6 gr. 

Ipecac 2 gr. 

A mixture of the above ingredients should be placed 
on the animals tongue, three times per day. If there 
is any contraction of the lungs, this will relax the air 
cells. Then take one pint of molasses, and add one 
ounce of chlorinated potash, and place one tablespoonful 
on the tongue three times per day. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 93 

SCRATCHES. 

Are caused many times by neglect and bad manage- 
ment, in leaving a horse stand over night with mud on 
his legs, and leaving him in a foul stable ; this is also 
the cause of hoof rot. Scratches is not a constitu* 
tional disease but merely a malady pertaining to the 
cuticle. 

Cleanliness is one of the most essential features in 
curing this or any other skin disease. By washing the 
legs of the animal with warm water, and using castile 
soap freely, rubbing them until quite dry ; and then by 
making the following application you will remedy the 
disorder. 

CUKE. 

Pulverized Brimstone 1 oz. 

Common Gun Powder J oz. 

Add lard sufficient to make a thick paste and apply 
freely. 



94 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

SCOURS. 

This disease is occasioned by a horse being fed a 
larger quantity of oats than he is in the habit of eating, 
and then driven immediately afterwards, or it may be 
brought on by exercising a horse too freely when his 
bowels are in a relaxed condition. Either of these 
causes will produce an irritation of the bowels and a 
derangement of the gastric juices of the stomach. It 
is often accompanied by the most severe pain, and 
sometimes becomes a very serious affair and even ends 
in death. 

Many people have no idea of the cause and nature 
of this disease, and are unable to prescribe for it. The 
object in treating this disease is to neutralize the 
gastric juices of the stomach and allay the pain, to do 
this, the remedy is as follows : 

Tincture Rhubarb J oz. 

Spirits Camphor £ oz. 

Tincture Opium "1 dr. 

Chloroform '. . 2 dr. 

Give a tablespoonful of this mixture three times a 
day. I have never known this to fail. The fourth 
dose in most cases effects a cure. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 95 

GIVING MEDICINE, OR HOW TO DRENCH 
A HORSE. 

Giving medicine is one of the most difficult tasks 
that horsemen have in treating diseases ; as they use 
the old method of pulling the horse's head up into an 
unnatural position, then introducing a long necked 
bottle into his mouth, and pouring down some nostrum 
faster than the horse can swallow ; this causes a por- 
tion of it to be forced into the trachea or wind-pipe ; 
and brings on strangulation and a severe spell of 
coughing, and sometimes leaves serious consequences 
as the coughing proves to be lasting, and difficult to 
remove. 

By a close application to the study of nature and 
the natural motions of a horse; I have found a far 
better way, by which a boy twelve years old may 
drench a horse more easily than three or four stout 
men can by the old fashioned way. 

After having my medicine prepared in a half pint or 
pint flask, I stand on the right side of the horse, take 
him by the bridle with the left hand, then insert the 
neck of the bottle in his mouth, just back of the front 
teeth, letting it extend far enough in to reach the 
tongue. 



96 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

Then pour the medicine from the bottle into the 
mouth, no faster than the horse can swallow it. By- 
using this method you will find that a horse will take 
any kind of medicine without the slightest hesitation. 

This will look very simple to any person who has 
never given medicine in this way ; but after having 
tried it once the old method will be entirely discarded. 
This is the only common-sense way to give medicine; 
to a horse. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 97 

HORSE POWDERS. 

As horse powders are something that is in general 
use, I have thought it necessary to give one. Know- 
ing the value of a good powder, I have used my ut- 
most exertion to make a combination that would be 
of benefit to the horse. The properties of this powder 
are both tonic and relaxative, and a trial of them will 
only prove their excellence. The ingredients are as fol- 
lows : 

Powdered Gentian . 4 oz. 

" Peruvian Bark 2 oz. 

" Rhei | oz. 

Sub Carbonate Ferri 1 oz. 

Yellow Root . 1 oz. 

Mix a teaspoonful with the horse's feed morning and 
evening for ten days. 

In any case of anaemia, which always occurs after 
a severe attack of lung fever and quinsy, it will be 
found to be unequaled for bettering the horse's condi- 
tion ; and in any case where the object is to improve 
the condition of, and fatten a horse, they are unsur- 
passed. 

CONDITION POWDERS. 

Pulverized Stramonia Seed 1 oz. 

Sulphur \ lb. 

Give a light teaspoonful every other day for two 
weeks. This will be found valuable, if given during 
an attack of farcy, surfeit, etc. 



98 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 



LINIMENT FOR SORE BACKS AND SHOUL- 
DER GALLS. 

The object in treating these ailments is to take out 
the soreness and soften the parts affected. This is 
done by making a mixture of 

Sweet Oil 2 oz. 

Gum Camphor £ oz. 

CURE FOR SPRAINS. 

All sprains should have immediate attention and 
the utmost care, for often a sprain that is considered 
of no importance at the time it occurs, will develop 
into a serious affair, and will render a horse useless 
for weeks. But when judiciously treated in the com- 
mencement, is very easily cured. 

It is very common for people to apply hot stimu- 
lating liniments. This should never be done until the 
inflammation is allayed. The best wa}^ is to bathe the 
horse's leg in warm water, and rub the leg well with 
castile soap until it is well soaped. This bathing should 
be continued for about an hour, and followed up until 
the inflammation subsides, and after each bathing ap- 
ply the following liniment : 

Turpentine £ oz. 

Spirits Camphor 1 oz. 

Chloroform 1 oz. 

Oil of Cedar % oz. 

Aconite : . f oz. 

Sweet Oil 2 oz. 

This treatment, with close attention, will cure a 
sprain almost immediately. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 99 



QUICK CURE. 

Spirits Camphor , 1 oz. 

Chloroform 1 oz. 

Oil of Cedar J oz. 

Oil of Sassafras ■ 1 oz. 

Oil of Oraganum ^__£ oz. 

Oil of Cloves J oz. 

Turpentine | oz. 

Aqua Ammonia ! J oz. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 oz. 

Oil of Cajiput , J oz. 

Sweet Oil 4 oz. 

Belladonna \ oz. 

This liniment will be found to be one of the most 
efficient of all liniments for bruises, and it is as excellent 
when used in the human family for aches and pains, 
as in the horse when used for bruises. 

BLACK LINIMENT. 

Turpentine J pt. 

Fish Oil ; J pt. 

Oil of Spike___ 1 oz. 

Oil of Vitriol 1 oz. 

Mix the first three ingredients, then add the oil of 
vitriol slowly, and with caution. This liniment is a good 
remedy when used on any old chronic running sores, 
such as fistula, etc. 

WHITE LINIMENT. 

Alcohol 1 pt. 

Turpentine 1 pt. 

Corrosive sublimate 1 oz. 

Spirits of Ammonia 1 oz. 

Oil of Oraganum 1 oz. 

Tincture Cantharides 1 oz. 

Mix the Corrosive Sublimate and Alcohol in a mor- 
tar, and then add the others. 

This liniment is used in all swellings, such as dis- 
temper and quinsy, etc. 



100 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

SALVE FOR FRESH CUTS AND WOUNDS. 

Take a gallon of jimpson leaves and pods, add one 
gallon of water, boil these down to one pint. Strain 
the liquid off and add 

Rosin „ 1 oz. 

Honey 1 oz. 

And mutton tallow sufficient to make it into a thick 
paste ; then simmer over a slow fire — being careful not 
to burn it — until it is thoroughly mixed. This makes 
one of the best salves that can be made either for man 
or beast ; and where once used is always used again. 

KECIPE FOR CUTS AND WOUNDS OF ANY 
DESCRIPTION. 

I derive more benefit from the use of the carbolized 
oil than from any other medicine I have used for 
wounds in horse flesh. This is made by taking 

Sweet Oil 2 oz. 

Carbolic Acid 20 gr. 

These two ingredients added together act as a disin- 
fectant; at the same time cause the wound to heal 
more quickly than any other application. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 101 

LINIMENT FOR STIFF JOINTS AND 
SHOULDERS. 

Oil of Spikenard . 1 oz. 

•< Oraganum 1 oz. 

" Tar. 1 oz. 

Pulverized Salt Petre 1 oz. 

Oil of Turpentine 1 oz. 

Alcohol 2 pts. 

HOOF OINTMENT. 

Turpentine 4 oz. 

Sweet Oil 4 oz. 

Gum Camphor 1 oz. 

Oil of Spike 1 oz. 

Corrosive Sublimate.-, \ oz. 



Apply to the hoof with a sponge. 



102 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

COFFIN-BONE. 

This is the first bone of the fore-foot, and lies entirely 
enclosed in the outer wall of the hoof, to which it is 
fitted. It is a spongy substance, and porous enough 
to allow the blood to circulate through it freely into 
the foot, which would be impossible if it were otherwise 
constructed. It also serves as a protection for the 
blood vessels, and prevents the blood from becoming 
obstructed in its passage through the foot. 

It is very peculiar in its construction, and is hollow- 
ed out to fit the inside sole of the foot. There are 
small fibres that project from the coffin-bone, whenever 
these fibres receive an injury, the synovia fluid settles 
down into a bony enlargement; this will gradually 
increase, and will first be perceived at the edge of the 
hoof It sometimes extends around the hoof, then it 
is called ring bone. 

The coffin-bone is often used as a cloak by the inex- 
perienced horse doctor, for when a horse is suffering 
from lameness, and the doctor not knowing where to 
locate the disease, will almost invariably decide that 
the coffin-bone is diseased ; when it is a very difficult 
matter for an old experienced veterinarian to ascertain 
to a certainty, whether the coffin-bone is affected or not. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HOUSE BOOK. 103 

HOOP-ROT. 

This is a disease quite prevalent throughout the 
country, and many horses are affected with it with- 
out the knowledge of the owners. It is engendered 
by bad stable management and neglect ; this also is 
the cause of many other derangements to which 
horses are subject. The disease may be known by 
the white, chalky substance that forms in the bottom 
of the foot. Many horse owners do not make a prac- 
tice of examining their horses' feet, and often this dis- 
ease gains considerable headway before it is discov- 
ered. When it is ascertained that a horse has hoof- 
rot, he should receive immediate attention, as it often 
engenders other diseases. It may be remedied by 
paring the foot out as much as possible, and then ap- 
plying the Hoof Ointment once a day until the foot 
is cured. 



104 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 



THRUSH, 






This is a disease of the frog, and may be known by 
the offensive matter that comes from the frog, or heel. 
Unless the owner of the animal is a close observer of 
his horse's feet this disease may become considerably 
aggravated before he is made aware of it. 

It is engendered in most cases by the horse stand- 
ing in a damp and neglected stable ; or, through some 
injury done in the frog. A horse that has proper at- 
tention in every respect will never have the thrush. 

CTJKE. 

Oil of Oraganum ; ioz, 

Turpentine. ; . . 1 oz. 

Honey . „£ oz. 

Gum Camphor Joz. 

Sweet Oil 4 oz. 

Apply to the bottom of the foot every night. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HOUSE BOOK. 105 

CRACKED HOOPS 

are occasioned by some old chronic disease that has 
caused the hoof to dry, and become so hard that it 
cracks. It is sometimes caused by the decay of the 
sole of the foot. The fore feet are more liable to crack 
than the hind ones. Sometimes founder, and narrow 
heel will produce a dryness and contraction that 
causes the hoof to split. These cracks, or splits, have 
no precise depth or length ; I have seen them cracked 
so that they extended from the rim of the foot to 
the hair. 

It takes considerable time to cure cracked hoofs; 
and if the foot is suffering from any other disease it 
must be gotten rid of before an attempt is made to 
cure the crack in the hoof. The hoof should be 
pressed together and clinched by a wrought nail. The 
animal should not be put to heavy draught labor 
while the hoof is in such a condition. 

It is essential to get the hoof in as good condi- 
tion as possible, as it is necessary to grow a new 
hoof entirely. This may be done by applying the Hoof 
Ointment. 
8 



106 THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

TO DESIGNATE BETWEEN SHOULDER 
AND FOOT LAMENESS. 

Some people are at a loss to know how to distin- 
guish between shoulder and foot lameness ; and as I 
think it a matter of consequence I will give a few 
hints on the subject. A horse will often in arising 
from lying down, slip his fore extremity forward so 
much as to rupture the striffen, and this will cause a 
small quantity of blood to break from the veins, and 
coagulate under the skin, and if it remains there it 
will produce a lameness. 

The way to locate this lameness is to take the 
animal by the bridle-bits and back him; if the 
lameness is in the shoulder, he will drag his foot 
as he backs ; but if it is in the foot, he will lift it 
up from the ground as he moves. When it is dis- 
covered that the lameness is in the shoulder, to 
remedy it, it will be necessary to insert a rowel, at 
once, for the purpose of drawing the inflammation to 
the surface. Then use the White Liniment on the 
point of the shoulder. 

Another way to locate lameness, is by the mo- 
tions of the horse when in a brisk trot ; when he is 
lame below the knee, he will bow his head downward, 
and when lame above the knee, he nods his head up- 
ward. 

This is a sure guide to go by. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 107 

HORSE-SHOEING. 

This is one of the most essential and important oper- 
ations connected with horse keeping; as a horse 
that is badly shod, is never able to do any amount of 
labor ; and an admirer of the horse never enjoys a ride 
behind an animal that cannot go without appearing to 
be suffering pain, and has a crippling sort of gait 

All horse owners know that many horses are ruined 
by improper shoeing. I have no intention of con- 
demning all blacksmiths, for our towns and villages 
are blessed with many excellent ones, and blacksmiths 
are often blamed for bad shoeing when it is really the 
fault of the farmer, in letting the shoe remain on the 
horses foot too long. For as a general thing, you will 
find the farmers want the smith to put on a shoe so it 
will stay on a year, and this is more injurious than to 
have no shoe on at all. As a horse's hoof when in a 
healthy condition grows nearly half an inch in a 
month, his shoes should not remain on longer than 
from sixty to ninety days. 

I have never met an intelligent smith who was not 
anxious to learn all he could in reference to shoeing, 
and whenever I meet an illiterate shoer, he always pre- 
tends to understand all about the anatomy of the horse's 
foot, but if you ask him any question as to the con- 
struction of it, he is not able to answer one. This is 
the kind of smiths that ruin many horses feet through- 
out the land. 



1C8 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

When the horse is taken to the shop to be shod, it 
is necessary to have his loot trimmed perfectly level, 
if the toe is trimmed down the heel should be trimmed 
in the same manner, as it is essential that the foot 
should be level. The frog should never be touched, 
as it sheds every three months ; it acts as a sort of 
sponge for the foot, and it ought to touch the ground 
whenever the horse steps, in order to gather the 
moisture that the foot may require to keep it in a 
healthy condition. 

After the foot has been trimmed, the shoe should be 
fitted to the foot, and not the foot to the shoe. The 
shoe should be made circular, so as to fit around the 
rim of the horse's foot, coming up close to the frog, in 
order to protect the heel. A great many people approve 
of a shoe that is wide at the heel, but this is entirely 
wrong, as it gives no protection whatever to the heel. 

Place the nail holes as near to the toe as possible. 
There should be three nails on the inner and four on 
the outer wall of the foot, as the inner is weaker and 
shorter than the outer wall. There should never be a 
cork or toe on a shoe, unless it is in the case of a heavy 
draught horse, then it becomes a matter of necessity. 

A horse should never have a cork without a toe on 
his shoe, as that would prevent the foot from being level. 

The nails should never be twisted off with a clinching 
hammer, as great many smiths do, for in twisting they 
are apt to twist the nail in the foot and cause a rup- 
ture of the walls of the foot. The nails should be 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 109 

turned up, and after the nails are drawn, they should 
be cut off with the pincers, being careful to rasp as 
little enamel as possible off of the front of the foot, 
because the foot cannot be in a healthy condition, 
until nature goes to work and makes the enamel on 
the front of the hoof again. 



SHOEING A HORSE THAT INTERFERES. 

The shoe should be rounded off all the way around 
the inner wall of the hoof, so that when the horse 
raises his foot there will be nothing fo cut. Great care 
should be taken to file the clinchers off perfectly smooth. 

TO BRFAK A HORSE THAT INTERFERES. 

The best way to break a horse of interfering, is to 
buckle a round leather roll, stuffed with cotton, between 
the pastern joint and the hoof; buckle it so the ends 
of the roll will come close together. This roll strikes 
the opposite foot, and will cause the horse to place his 
foot in a different position when he steps. A few miles 
of driving will generally break up the habit of inter- 
fering. 

TO BREAK A HORSE OF FORGING. 

This is one of the most difficult habits to break a horse 
of, that we have to contend with. We have derived 
great benefit by making the shoe thin at the heel, 
almost as thin as a knife blade, and then putting a 
piece of steel on the toe of the shoe ; this raises the 
foot and causes it to go over the fore foot instead of 
striking it. 



110 THE COMMON-SENSE HOUSE BOOK. 

REMEDY FOR NARROW HEEL. 

The foot should be pared down on the bottom as 
much as possible, and the heels trimmed down low; 
then there should be a circular shoe put on, and the 
nails must not be drawn too tight. 

The Hoof Ointment should be applied to the bottom 
of the hoof, every morning. The horse should be shod 
every fifteen or twenty days until a cure is effected. 

THE HOOF BOUND-HORSE. 

The hoof-bound horse may be known by the manner 
of standing • as he is always shifting his weight from 
one foot to the other, and seems uneasy and restless as 
if in pain. 

CURE. 

Grooves should be made in the outer wall of the 
foot, an inch apart, all the way around the hoof. Then 
a shoe should be made to circle, so as to protect the 
heel; and should be beveled from the last nail hole 
back on the inside instead of on the outer side. This 
is done in order to spread the foot. 

Then the Hoof Ointment should be applied every 
morning, in the bottom of the hoof. 

The horse's feet should be soaked in warm water at 
least' three times per week. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. Ill 

FLAT FOOT. 

It has puzzled the best of horse-shoers to find a 
remedy for flat foot. An ordinary horse-shoe will not 
answer the purpose, as whenever there is too much 
pressure upon the heel the horse will limp. The only 
remedy for this is to throw the weight off of the heel. 
In order to do this, the shoe should be sprung from the 
last nail hole backwards, so that it will have a ten- 
dency to curve downwards ; this will cause the shoe to 
spring, every time the horse steps, and lessen the 
weight on the heel. By this manner of shoeing you 
will find one of these horses will walk with much more 
ease ; and after a smith has given this one trial, he 
will adopt it ever after. 

A NAIL IN A HORSE'S FOOT. 

This is considered to be of little consequence by some, 
but it frequently happens that a horse steps upon a 
nail, and it enters the foot, and proves to be a matter 
of great importance, for the rust off of a nail will often 
poison the flesh, and sometimes a nail is forced into 
the foot so as to rupture a nerve; this is apt to pro- 
duce a sympathetic affection of the entire nervous 



112 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

system and cause lockjaw; so it is better to give a 
matter of this kind prompt attention. 

If after the nail has entered the foot, inflammation 
sets in, it must he immediately- attended to. The in- 
flammation may be allayed by using a poultice made 
of ground flax seed ; this must be applied to the foot 
every night, at same time use the Hoof Ointment on 
the bottom of the foot, and great benefit may be derived 
from soaking the horse's foot in warm water every 



THE COMMON- SENSE HORSE BOOK. 113 

TRAINING A TROTTING HORSE. 

As many persons are desirous of knowing some- 
thing about the art of training a horse to trot, and as 
manj horses may be made infinitely more valuable by 
being trained, I will endeavor to give a few ideas on 
the subject. Not having made the business a specialty, 
and, therefore, not being versed on the subject, I have 
referred to Mr. John S. Lackey, who is known to be 
one of the best horse trainers in the West, and am in- 
debted to him for his mode of training. It is given 
below : 

" It will be found that a considerable amount of la- 
bor will be required in the business of training, as it is 
necessary to put the animal in good condition fjr the 
business he is expected to follow. The first thing to 
be done in commencing to train, is to give the horse a 
walk of from three to four miles, every morning and 
evening. This is necessary in order to harden the 
muscles, so that he will be the better prepared for 
entering the track, as gradual training is always the 
best. 

" It is necessary also to feed the horse a bran mash 
at least every other day, to keep the bowels open and 
better his general condition. 

"After this has been kept up for tw r o weeks, you 
may begin to exercise him a little more briskly by 



114 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK-. 

trotting him moderately. This part of the training 
is known to horsemen by the name of "jogging." The 
horse should be taken to the track and "jogged" 
from three to four miles a day \ this should be con- 
tinued for at least two weeks, then the horse will be in 
a condition so you can speed him — that is, to put him 
to his utmost speed. A horse should always he jogged 
from one to two miles before speeding him ; then he 
may be put to his utmost speed. It is necessary in 
speeding a horse to give him a full mile, as you wish 
to convey to his mind the idea that when he is put to 
his utmost speed he is required to go a mile. 

"I have noticed that horses, when put on a half or 
quarter of a mile track, will go the first half or quarter 
mile in less time than they will the second, and by 
so doing lose time ; so it is better to give them to un- 
derstand that they must go a mile without stopping. 

"After a horse has been thus exercised on the track, 
he should be taken to the stable, and his mouth should 
be sponged in clean, fresh water ; the sweat should be 
well rubbed off, and a blanket thrown over him, and 
he should be given a short walk, after which return 
him to the stable and rub him entirely dry. By this 
time he may be curried and cleaned, after which band- 
ages should be placed on his legs. This is done in or- 
der to give tone to the blood-vessels and assist circula- 
tion. The bandages should be of linenj and applied to 
the horse damp, being careful that they are well wrung 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 115 

out, so there will be no water to drip from them. They 
should remain on two hours, after which remove 
them, dampen the horse's legs and rub them until they 
are quite dry. 

"The horse should be fed principally upon oats, 
which should be thoroughly dusted. He should have 
from three to four quarts three times per day. He 
should also have from four to six pounds of nice, clean 
timothy hay, morning and evening. If driven in the 
morning he should have a short walk in the evening, 
and he must be comfortably clothed, according to the 
state of the weather. 

The horse, after speeding, must always have his legs 
well * soaked out,' in order to allay any fever that may 
arise. Care must be taken to rub the legs perfectly 
dry. 

Some horses in training fall into a habit of "hitch- 
ing' or ' hopping.' This is caused by pressing them 
too closely, and giving them too much work, and they 
are made to feel a dislike and disgust for the track. 
This fault can sometimes be remedied by changing the 
horse from the track to the road. When this will not 
break up the habit, I use ' balls.' I put two strands 
of balls on the leg opposite to the one on which he 
hops. I buckle one row just above the pastern joint, 
and one just below it. 

"1 have also used what is called by horsemen 
6 cross-balls,' that is, using the balls in the same man- 



116 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

ner on the opposite fore-leg. These remedies rarely 
ever fail to break up the habit of ' hopping.' 

" Other horses fall into the habit of J driving on one 
rein.'' This is caused by the horse's mouth becoming 
sore, and in order to relieve the pain, he carries his 
head on one side. The first thing to be done is to re- 
move the cause. This is done in many cases, by what 
is called 'floating the horse.' 

"I sometimes buckle a strap to the side of the 
bridle-bit, bring it under the horse's chin, then fasten 
it to the other side of the bit, making it tight enough 
to prevent the slipping of the bit in the horse's mouth. 
This I have found to break a horse in a short space of 
time. 

" Persons that train trotting horses should exercise 
a great deal of patience, ;md should be careful not to 
over work the horse ; for too much training makes 
him irritable and liable to 'break.' When he does 
break he should never be jerked down suddenly, as 
that will have a tendency to lessen his speed, but he 
should be given a full rein until he makes two or three 
jumps, and then be brought back by a steady pull ; 
by these means it will be found that the horse will 
soon learn to lose nothing in breaking. 

" Many horses are apt to strike and cut themselves ; 
some will cut on the pastern joint, and others on the 
knee (known to horse trainers as ' swift cut'). This 
may be prevented by wearing a ' boot ' on or over the 



THE COMMON SENSE HORSE BOOK. 117 

place where the horse is apt to cut. But I have de- 
rived more benefit from wearing a roll between the 
pastern joint and the hoof; a round leather roll, two 
inches thick, just leaving room enough for a buckle 
on one end and a strap on the other ; place this on 
the foot that he. cuts on ; this has a tendency to make 
him throw his foot in a different position. 

"It is oftentimes found necessary, while trotting a 
horse to give him stimulants, and as all horses are not 
constitutionally alike, as a matter of course the stimu- 
lants given them will need to be different. Some re- 
quire whisky to be given them, and some trainers use 
a corn-meal gruel between heats. 

The proper amount of whisky to be given a horse, 
would be four ounces, with four ounces of water added. 
This stimulant may be easily given without taking 
the horse off the track, by using Proftssor Patton's 
method of drenching a horse. 

"Another mode of softening the horse's feet is to 
apply a poultice, made of flax-seed meal, to the bot- 
tom of the foot. This should be done occasionally, as 
it draws all fever to the surface, and keeps the feet in 
a healthy condition, and prevents them from becom- 
ing hard and brittle. 

"In training a horse to trot it is the better plan to 
use him in a light sulky, of sixty or seventy pounds' 
weight, being careful to have every part of his har- 
ness made to fit him comfortably." 



118 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

HORSE-TRAINING. 

The great secret of horsemanship is kindness to- 
ward your horse; but still, you must have a way of 
handling him at your will. In order to gain entire 
command over him, we have invented what is ordi- 
narily termed, "The ten cent bridle." Take a com* 
mon cotton cord, made of fine yarn, fo that it may 
be quite strong, about three-eighths of an inch thick. 
If you can not obtain a cotton one, a hempen one will 
answer the purpose, if it is strong enough. Let it be 
about twelve feet in length ; fasten each end with a 
knot, to prevent it from raveling ; make it, and place 
it around the horse's neck, in the same manner as you 
would a common rope halter; then pass your left 
hand down between the horse's neck and the rope, 
toward the horse's breast, grasp the rope in your 
left hand and draw it toward the horse's head ; that 
forms a loop, then place that loop in the horse's mouth, 
and drawing it tight, and standing off to the left of 
the horse, you speak to him in a loud and distinct 
voice, saying : " Come here, sir ; " at the same time 
throwing your entire weight upon the rope. That 
will draw the animal toward you with a sudden jerk. 
After repeating this operation three or four times, you 
will find no trouble in handling your horse at your 
will; for, using a cord after the above directions on a 
horse, will make him entirely submissive. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 119 

This cord also makes one of the finest bidding 
machines known in use. It does away with the old 
fashioned surcingle, gag-ring, martingale, and crupper. 
Putting this cord in the horse's mouth, and by stand- 
ing in front of him, and jerking him, and at the same 
time speaking gently the words : "come up sir," will 
have the effect of putting him in a more natural posi- 
tion than any other mode of bidding you can invent. 

HOW TO BREAK HORSES OF KICKING. 

A kicking horse is one of the most vicious and dan- 
gerous animals of the horse kind. The cause of horses 
being vicious kickers is the fear of having their legs 
handled, and when you once get them accustomed to 
being handled about the legs you will have no more 
trouble in breaking them of the habit of kicking. 

One way to break a kicker is to take him with the 
naked halter. Take his tail, part it in the middle, and 
tie a knot in it, and pass the halter strap through the 
loop made in the tail by the knot, and make it fast so 
the horse can not go in any way except in a circle. 
Then take a pole, and work it up and down his legs, 
while he* is circling in the ring. The object is to get 
him used to having his legs handled. Work him for 
about ten minutes in that position, and then cut a bush 
about the size of a common currant bush, tie this to 
his tail, so that it will drag on the ground, then whirl 
him for about fifteen minutes more, then put the harness 



120 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

on him, if he works all right, well and good ; if he does 
not, go through the operation again. 

Another way of breaking a kicker is with a small 
cord about twenty feet long, and about three-eighths of 
an inch thick. Pass it over the horse's neck, putting 
the center of the cord on the horse's withers, and cross- 
ing the cord in the horse's mouth, then bring it back 
to the hind legs, making it fast by buckling a leather , 
strap around the legs, between the pastern, and the 
coronal joint. Then fasten your line in the cord that 
is on the horse's neck, stand off and start him, when 
he makes an attempt to kick, the cord draws, and hurts 
his mouth, and as a horse can think of but one thing 
at a time, he thinks of his mouth and forgets to kick. 
This plan is almost sure to break him-, as I never knew 
a horse to kick more than from three to five times 
with this training. 



HOW TO MANAGE BALKY HORSES. 

If you should happen to meet with a balking horse, 
you will find that he is one of the most worthless of the 
horse kind, irom the fact, that the time when he is most 
needed, he is the least to be depended upon. The cause 
of horses being balkers is owing to their being mis- 
managed, and it will be found most generally, where 
horses balk, that the driver is a person who* does not 
understand how to control a team. For instance, the 
old gentleman farmer will say to his son John : " You 
take old Tom, and the young mare and go and take a 
load of wood to town." The boy goes down to the woods, 
and unthinkingly puts on a load of wood large enough 
for two good pulling horses. The young mare being 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 121 

tender in the shoulders, and becoming wearied with 
toil she is not accustomed to, comes to a place where 
there is to be unusually hard pulling, and she is sure 
to stop. The young man gets out of the wagon, pats 
her on the neck, and speaks to her, and encourages 
her while she stops, and so he spends his time until 
finally the old substantial horse pulls the load out ; and 
when he gets the load out, and up on level ground, he 
will draw the young mare up, and commence to whip 
her. Now, you see he is whipping her for pulling, and 
petting her for balking. Now, having formed the 
habit, you must invent a cure for it, and get them 
broken of it, for, until they are completely broken 
they are in a manner worthless. 

One of the best plans we know of, is to put the bal- 
ker on the off side, then take a small cord, twenty feet 
in length, make one end of this cord fast to the right 
harness ring of the balking horse, then take the cord 
back and place it under the horses tail, make the other 
end of this cord fast to the harness ring of the near 
horse, get into the wagon, and as you touch the near 
horse with the whip, you must speak in a firm and dis- 
tinct tone of v 01 ds : u Get up," and as the near horse 
moves up, he throws the balker forward, as he gets 
ready to start, speak the word "whoa." Then starting 
him up in the same manner a second time, you will 
find when you say "get up," the second time, you will 
have no difficulty in starting him, as he will be perfect- 
ly willing to go, and pull his share of the load. 

It is a great mistake as a general thing, to whip a 
horse for balking, for it serves to excite him, and con- 
fuse him, and render him all the more unmanageable. 
A good manager of horses must have control over 
9 



122 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

himself and not work himself up into a passion, for 
then he is sure to do something that will cause his 
horse to be more nervous, and after having beaten a 
horse once for not pulling, he will not be likely to 
forget it; so the next time he gets in a "tight place," 
he will ba nervous and confused just from remembering 
the whipping he got before ; so that it is the better plan 
to use firmness and kindness towards a horse at all 
times, and not severity. 

There is still another reliable way in which to start 
a balking horse. If he should stop with you in a 
buggy, and refuse to go further — it is as follows : Take 
a newspaper, tear it into pieces, and fill the horses ears 
with it. This plan hardly ever fails to start him, as it 
produces an odd sensation to the horse, and he forgets 
that he is stopping, and starts off before he thinks what 
he is doing, lie shakes his head and goes with no 
more trouble. 

CURING THE HALTER-BREAKER OR PULL-BACK. 

This is a very disagreeable and annoying habit 
which some horses have, of which it is sometimes ex- 
ceedingly difficult to break them. 

One of the best ways known at the present time, 
and one that will be of interest, and benefit to those 
who read this book, we give as follows : First, buckle 
a strap around the left foreleg of the animal just above 
the knee, then take the halter strap, pass it through 
the hole in the manger, and make it fast to the strap 
which is around the foreleg. As the horse pulls back 
to break the halter, it pulls his fore-leg forward, and 
no horse will enjoy breaking his halter at the expense 
of his leg, after the trial of a few times, the habit will 
be broken up entirely. 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 123 

THE BREACHY OR ROGUISH HORSE. 

The next subject we will take up and discuss, is the 
one in which we treat a breachy horse. I turn them 
from the stable into the pasture, with the head-stall 
and halter : First, taking a piece of leather about six 
inches wide and ten inches long, and fastening it to 
the top of the halter, so that falls down over the horse's 
eyes. I then cut five slits in the leather over each of 
his eyes, when the horse corner up to a fence and at- 
tempts to jump, the fence seems to come up to him. 
And it would be almost impossible to make him jump 
a fence, with that kind of a blind over his eyes. 

HOW TO CATCH A HORSE IN PASTURE. 

You must first break your horse to do anything 
you want him to do, to be obedient in all respects. 
By patience and perseverance you can correct al- 
most all the faults in a horse, and make him per- 
fectly trustworthy, and, in fact, make him just what 
a noble horse ouofht to be. 

The reason your horses are unruly and bad to catch 
when in pasture is because your boy or servant when 
he takes your horse to the pasture, pulls off the 
bridle, and hits them just to see them run away, 
and by so doing he gives the animals cause to 
think that every time you come to the pasture you 
have come to hit them, and so they seem to think 
it is to their advantage to keep away from you. 

The most successful method of treating horses for 
this fault, and bad habit, is to turn the horse in a 
small inclosure, the smallest lot you have is the 
best, so that when he runs from you he is bound to 
circle around this small inclosure ; walk slowly around 
in the center until the horse stops, and if he stops, you 



124 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

may go up to him, caress him, and pat him on the neck, 
and speak kindly to him, saying, "You area fine horse," 
always, speaking kindly to him. Then try again in- 
the same manner, until he will, come up to you with 
out any hesitation. Then go away and leave him for 
a while. After a short time repeat the same opera- 
tion again, and by giving him a few lessons in this 
wa}r, you can entirely correct the habit. And the 
horse will soon learn to know that you have no inten- 
tion of striking him, and will learn that you are not 
to be feared. By so doing, and by not allowing any 
one to strike him, he will soon learn to come when he 
sees you, and you will experience no more trouble 
about catching him. But on the other hand, he will 
learn to follow you like a dog, and you can catch him 
at any time. 

THE CRIBBER, OR, STUMP-SUCKER. 

Cribbing, or, stump-sucking, is considered by some 
people to be a disease, but we think it is nothing more 
or less than a bad habit, although a very difficult one 
to cure or break, but with time and attention to the 
matter, it can be effectually remedied. 

The horse first forms the habit by the compression 
of the upper nippers, and pressing down on the 
trough in order to get air through his teeth. By so 
doing he forms a habit, which to say the least of, is 
lasting, and is very hard to break. I derive a great 
benefit from filing ; I take a small file, and file the 
upper nippers apait so the air will constantly pass 
through his teeth, and by so doing the habit is gen- 
erally remedied. 

The Loller, or the horse that protrudes his tongue; 
this is nothing but a habit in a horse, and is usually 



THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 125 

observed in old horses, and it is considered a difficult 
thing to teach an old horse new tricks ; so it is equally 
a difficult task to break an old horse of a bad habit. 
The horse usually gets his tongue over the bit ; I have 
used to very great advantage a curb bit, and found it pre- 
vents the horse from getting his tongue above the bit. 

Another method that is considered a reliable remedy 
and makes it impossible for the horse to get his tongue 
on the outside of his mouth, is to take a small strap 
and pass it over the top of -the tongue and buckle it 
around the lower jaw. This will prove to be quite an im- 
portant preventive, as it has been used with success. 

HOW TO MAKE A HORSE LIE DOWN. 

It is necessary sometimes to lay a horse down in 
order to perform an operation on him I strap up his 
left fore-leg, and then I have a surcingle with a cup- 
per and a ring, and put it on the horse so the ring 
will be on the right side of the horse. Then I take a 
small cotton cord, about fifteen feet in length, and 
three eighths of an inch thick, tie it on the left hand 
side in the ring of the halter, pass it through his 
mouth and back through the ring of the surcingle, 
and bring it forward ; stand out in front of the horse, 
and pull his head around to the right side, close up to 
the surcingle. This process brings him down upon his 
left knee, from which position he is caused to lie down. 
This mode of throwing a horse down is the simplest 
and best known in the profession. Besides knowing 
of this excellent method of throwing a horse, we also 
have knowledge of the fact that throwing a horse 
several times successively will completely conquer him, 
and make the most vicious animal submissive, as it 



126 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

does not take more than a few minutes to worry him 
out, so he will not care to oppose you, and you can 
handle him at your will. 

THE TRICK HORSE. 

As tricks are all easily taught, any one can train a 
horse to perform tricks by having patience and taking 
time, and endeavoring to make him understand just 
what you are desirous of having him do. 

TO TEACH A HORSE TO LIE DOWN". 

You must always throw him down, and remember 
to say the words, " Lie down, sir,'' as he falls, so he will 
become accustomed to hear the words while he goes 
through the motion of lying down. Give him a lesson 
every day until he has thoroughly learned that he must 
lie down just when he hears the command, "Lie down sir." 

HOW TO TEACH A HORSE TO SIT UP. 

After he has learned to lie down when he is bidden, 
it is a very easy matter to teach him to sit up, by having 
around the flanks a surcingle, and getting a couple of 
stout men to hold him down behind, while you work him 
up gently in front, by the bridle. Caress hirn on the neck 
until you convey the idea that a sitting posture is the 
one desired. Atter you have made him understand that 
he is to obey just what you command him to do, you 
will experience no more trouble with him. 

TO TEACH A HORSE TO SAY "YES OR NO." 

To teach a horse to say " no " you must take a pin 
or some sharp instrument, and prick him on the top 
of the neck, when he feels the prick of the pin, he will 
shake his head, and by accompanying the motion by 
some word or question, he will become accustomed to 






THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 127 

shaking his head, when he hears the words and sees 
the motion, because he will think he is going to be 
pricked with the pin. In the same manner you can 
teach him to say " yes," the only difference being in 
the motion, as you will have to prick him in the breast, 
and he will make a motion with his head which answers 
for yes. For instance, if you wish to hold conversation 
with him, say : Would you like to have a drink, sir ? at 
the same time throwing your hand over his neck as if 
to prick him, this motion will cause him to shake his 
head, and then you can say : " You are a temperance 
horse then, are you not, sir ? " throwing your hand 
down in front of his breast, this motion will make him 
say " yes." You can go on in this manner and hold 
any conversation you may wish. 

To teach a horse to tell his age by pawing, you must 
take some sharp pointed instrument and prick him on 
the fore-leg, at the same time holding him by the 
bridle bit, and begin to count as follows : one, two, 
three, four, and when you have come to the number at 
which you wish him to answer, you must jerk his head 
up, and by so doing, you convey to his mind the idea, 
that when you count he must paw. 

HOW TO BREAK A HALTER-CHEWER. 

This may be done by making a strong solution of 
capsicum, and soaking the halter in it. The animal will 
soon learn not to chew this kind of a halter. 

I claim no especial credit for the business of horse- 
training or taming ; but, as a number of people think it 
important to understand how to break a horse, I have 
given the best theory on the subject within my 
knowledge. Some think there is great virtue in horse- 
taming medicines, and others are of the opinion that a 



128 THE COMMON-SENSE HORSE BOOK. 

great benefit may be derived from the use of the cas- 
tor or wart on the horse's legs. These are taken and 
pulverized, and the powder blown into the nostrils' of 
the horse, after which, the animal is supposed to become 
entirely submissive ; but in my opinion, this is nothing 
more than the sheerest nonsense. 

The horse taming medicine consists of a combination 
of the oil of rhodium and oil of cumin, in equal por- 
tions. This I also pronounce to be perfectly spurious. 

JOCKEY TRICKS. 

I give some of these because some persons think 
them valuable, and not because I think them to be of 
any account, as I condemn them in every instance, 
and think the practice of them is utter folly. 

One is to make a horse refuse to eat when food is 
offered him. This is done by greasing the roof of the 
horse's mouth with tallow. Another one is to give a 
horse the glanders, the secret of this is, to pour fresh 
butter into the animal's ears, so it will run out at the 
nostrils. This is ail humbug to begin on, as there is 
no opening between the ear and the nostrils. 

Another one is to cure the horse of the heaves, this 
is done by giving the horse a half pint of fine bird 
shot. They say this will stop the hard breathing for 
two hours, but in my opinion, this is cruelty to the 
horse, and should never be done. 

Another trick is to make a horse go lame. This is 
done by threading a horse hair through a needle, and 
passing it through the cord of the horse's leg, and cut- 
ting the ends off on each side ; this causes an inflam- 
mation, and the horse will go very lame. A man that 
would be so heartless as to inflict so much unnecessary 
pain upon a horse, should be punished by the law. 



A.dclress Communications: 

PEOF. CHAS. U. PATTON, 

Veterinary Surgeon, 

Cambridge City* 

Ind. 



EOBEET THAEP, 



General Aorent. 



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